


When Q Becomes Your Last Chance...

by whiteraven1606



Category: Star Trek, Star Trek (2009)
Genre: AU, Big Bang, Child Abuse, Deaged Character, Kid Fic, M/M, Threesome - M/M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-06-24
Updated: 2010-06-24
Packaged: 2017-10-10 06:31:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 23,532
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/96655
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whiteraven1606/pseuds/whiteraven1606
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jim Kirk gets himself de-aged and his crew can't figure out a way to fix it until Spock Prime makes a suggestion that leads to drastic actions.</p>
            </blockquote>





	When Q Becomes Your Last Chance...

**Author's Note:**

> There are non-graphic mentions of past non-con/rape of an underage character. Mentions of hording of food. References to various parts of Star Trek that you don't actually have to know to read the story. The way Tarsus IV occurred for Kirk is vastly different here than in canon.
> 
> Also, I love the artwork that chosenfire28 did for this. :D Love it!

Art by chosenfire28 (LJ name) can be commented on here: http://chosenfire28.livejournal.com/147010.html  


  
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"We're as good as screwed."

Happy that none of the natives could hear them at that moment, Kirk rolled his eyes as Bones backed away from the panel separating them from the the scientist that Minister Lollis had politely shoved forward moments ago. "Now, Bones, you know that the _honor_ is given to only one of us."

Bones narrowed his eyes and moved further away. Kirk had to bite the inside of his cheek not to smile as Bones edged behind Spock. Turning back to the panel, Kirk pressed the intercom button and spoke to the Minister about the possible problems that taking the gross smelling liquid could cause a human. He'd already decided that Spock with his dual physiology shouldn't touch the stuff. He'd almost rather Bones take it since it was less likely that Bones would be allergic than him, but that wasn't happening either. Kirk nodded as the Minister reassured him that it had been used numerous times before to show the truth of a prospective trading partner.

Before either of his officers could argue with him about it, or take the drug themselves, Kirk downed it in one gulp and carefully sat the glass back down. Behind him Bones started cussing and Spock was suddenly right beside him, hovering.

"I'm good." Kirk blinked. Well, no, maybe he wasn't. Grabbing Spock's arm for balance, Kirk leaned to one side as his head started spinning.

****

As Jim fell, Bones was already moving to catch him. "Idiot." Easing him to the floor, Bones glanced up at Spock as he calmly spoke to the Minister about what the hell had just happened. Not that Spock would word it that way. Bones scanned Kirk and raised his eyebrows at the readout. "Spock."

Spock turned towards him. "Yes, Doctor?"

Bones pried one of Jim's eyes open and frowned at the look of the pupil. "He isn't allergic, but I don't like the look of his vitals."

Nodding, Spock turned back to the Minister and they argued over letting Kirk go back to the ship. Bones looked up as the panel parted and the scientist came forward timidly. When Bones looked back at Jim he froze for a moment. Turning Jim's arm carefully, Bones watched as his skin rippled. "Fuck."

Spock was next to him in an instant and they watched helplessly as Jim's body started _changing_. Bones spared a glance at the Minister and his pet scientist and worried more as they seemed genuinely surprised at what Jim's body was doing. Trying to decide if anything he had with him could help, Bones checked his tricorder again. As he looked back to Jim, he noticed that the Minister was smiling.

Shooting up, Bones got right into the Minister's face. "Why the hell are you smiling?"

"You are most blessed. Rarely does the Showing give such bounty."

Shoving down the urge to punch the man's very inviting nose, Bones turned back to find Spock cradling a small Jim in normal Jim-sized clothing. Trying to control his breathing, Bones dropped heavily to his knees and checked this tiny version of Jim over as thoroughly as he could. Looking up at the beaming crazy standing beside his smiling scientist that Bones wanted to smack, he narrowed his eyes at them. "How does this prove anything to you?"

The creepy smile widened and Bones was restrained by Spock's hand on his arm as the Minister started spouting how their method was the most productive manner for choosing trading partners. Torn between shaking off Spock to break the Minister's face and trying to make sure Jim was okay, Bones was developing a splitting headache. Spock stood up slowly and in no uncertain terms and in very polite language that made Bones' temples throb, insisted they return to the ship with Jim.

Bones wasn't surprised when the Minister had backed up a step and quickly agreed to allow them to return later to continue their negotiations. As they rematerialized in the transporter room, Bones picked up Jim's little body, trying to keep his clothes mostly in place. "This had better be as important as Starfleet insists it is."

Spock's eyebrows flattened and he helped arrange Jim on the gurney that had quietly appeared. "This star system has several rare elements and minerals that would be of great value to the Federation."

"Yeah, and what's Jim? Worthless pawn?"

Spock tucked Jim's little hand under the blanket Chapel had spread over the unconscious body. "Pawns are often the most important player." Spock stepped back. "Even more so when the Captain is playing."

****

It didn't take long to figure out that something was horribly wrong with Jim beyond him being a child. Bones reran the latest scan, vainly hoping it would give a different result. "When you're an adult again Jim, I'm going to kill you." Stabbing at the controls, Bones ordered several more scans. Then he went into his office and started putting in the passwords to unlock the parts of Jim's file that covered Jim's childhood that he'd never had reason to pry into. When he hit a pass-lock that required two officers to override, Bones commed Spock and fumed as he waited for Spock to come down from the bridge.

Without any preamble, Bones shoved his PADD at Spock. "Override this."

Spock looked over the file and sat the PADD down on his desk. "I will not."

Bones could have screamed, but instead he cussed and slammed his coffee cup down hard enough to crack the handle. "Dammit, Spock. I need to know why Jim looks like he's about to starve to death. It's locked in that file. I just need another officer of sufficient rank to override it."

It looked like Spock grew another centimeter as he stiffened. "The Captain requested I never be party to that portion of his file."

Rubbing his hand through his hair, Bones considered the problem. If Jim knew that Spock shouldn't see something in his file either it was something Jim would be ashamed of Spock seeing or something that would emotionally compromise Spock. It was an older file than the loss of Vulcan and Jim didn't really have a setting for shameful. Bones grabbed up the PADD and rechecked the date on the file. "Oh, no. No, no, no. Dammit. Of all the stupid things _not_ to tell me."

Bones threw the PADD back down on his desk and stomped out to readjust the settings for Jim's biobed now that he knew what was actually wrong. Spock silently followed and stood beside Jim's bed as Bones worked. Once he was satisfied, Bones pushed himself up onto the next biobed over, next to where Spock was standing.

"You ever look at the date on the files he didn't want you to see?"

Spock crossed his arms. "Yes." He lifted his chin that tiny amount which usually made Bones mad, but right now just made him more tired. "He appears to require that we know nothing of his childhood that is not something he himself has told us."

"Tarsus IV, Spock."

"Indeed."

Bones sighed. "Yeah, I'd cuss too." He knew Spock was preoccupied with worrying when he didn't argue that he'd not used foul language. "You have any idea what happened to him? Really?" Spock shifted his weight and Bones turned to stare at him. That wasn't normal for Spock, which just made Bones' day that much better. God, he needed a drink.

"The Captain has said nothing of value."

Bones rolled his eyes. "I knew that, you pointy eared hobgoblin."

Spock did that thing with his eyebrows that made Bones wanted to figure out how to copy it, if only to annoy Jim with it someday. As Spock started to speak the biobed's alarm sounded and Bones was suddenly busy with Jim who had shot upright and was breathing hard.

****

The man made that soothing gesture adults all used when they wanted something. Jim pressed back into the wall and pulled the covers up higher. The other adult was different from anyone Jim had seen on the colony. The pointed ears and green skin tone marked the guy as Vulcan. Jim jerked away as the human adult moved closer.

"Dammit, Jim. Calm down."

The Vulcan's eyes changed and Jim stared at the sight. He'd always heard that Vulcan were emotionless, but this Vulcan's eyes were warm. Like his mother's when she wasn't trying to be brave or was just distracted. "You should refrain from using inappropriate language, Doctor."

Jim squirmed away as the Doctor tried to get a hand on him even as he glared at the Vulcan. "I'm sure even at this age he's heard it before, Spock."

They both looked down at him and Jim sat very still. They didn't look like all the adults he was used to seeing. Neither of them looked hungry. His stomach growled at the thought of being full.

"Perhaps Jim would benefit from a tour of the ship."

Jim blinked. Ship? He wasn't on the colony? He looked around, but everything looked like that infirmary he'd been in before. Of course, he'd been in bad shape so his memory of it was pretty fuzzy. He looked back at the adults who were gazing at him. Tucking the blanket tighter under his chin, Jim shrugged.

The Doctor hmphed. "Fine. We'll stop at the mess and see if Jim's up to eating anything." Jim was up and off the biobed so fast he lost the blanket. He pressed back against the wall next to the Vulcan, Spock. He watched the adults bicker about who was going to be responsible for him. It wasn't the way things worked. Nothing he'd seen so far was right. Maybe he was in a dream.

That certainly made better sense than anything else he could think of, because he didn't want these adults to be like the ones he was used to. He liked the look of them. The calm they both had about them that said they hadn't seen what he'd seen. Didn't know what he'd had to do to survive. Jim blinked as he suddenly yawned. The Doctor was in front of him and Jim hadn't seen him move.

"How about you lay back down for a while."

Jim shook his head and moved along the wall away from the Doctor. He cringed as the adults moved to block him in. Breathing harder, Jim tried to figure out how to escape. He needed a place to hide and rest. Away from the Doctor. He seemed nice, but all adults seemed that way until they weren't. The Vulcan cocked his head and Jim watched him as he pulled the Doctor away and they started arguing. Jim slipped down the wall until he got to a door and when it whooshed open he went through it. Moving quickly, Jim started looking for a good place to rest. The ship was beautiful. Everything was so clean. Jim found a lift and pressed up against the wall as an adult followed him in.

"Captain, did Dr. McCoy let you go already?"

Jim stared at the pretty lady as she smiled at him. Why was she calling him a rank? He was just a kid...Jim looked down at himself. He was clean. Dealing with adults that seemed to know him that he'd never met. With no one else around that was from the colony. Time travel. That had to be it. Jim nodded.

"Alright. Would you like me to escort you to your quarters, sir?"

He had quarters? Defiantly time travel. Jim nodded again and the woman smiled down at him. He hung back a little so she'd pick the direction without expecting him to know where they were going as they exited the lift. When they reached a door on a level Jim hadn't seen before, the woman left him with a quick wave. Jim looked the door up and down. It hadn't just opened like the other doors. Jim turned and headed to the next door down. The little name plate read Commander Spock. That was a Vulcan name. Jim touched the door. Maybe it was the Vulcan from the infirmary. There couldn't be too many of them serving in his lifetime. He remembered his Mom talking about it to someone once. As he turned to go back to his door and hack his way in there was noise from down the corridor.

Not wanting to deal with another adult, Jim tapped the first code that came to mind and jumped slightly when the door just opened right up. Hurrying in, Jim panted in the warmer air of the room as the door closed behind him. Moving slowly around, Jim looked over everything. It was quiet and very clean. Jim climbed up onto the bed and laid down. He'd go to his room in a few minutes. He was just so tired.

****

Spock watched over McCoy's shoulder as Jim slipped out the door. "You must consider what the Captain might have survived when dealing with this version of Jim."

With a sputter, McCoy turned away only to freeze for a moment and then turn back. "You let him escape!"

"Yes." Jim had displayed elevated levels of stress each time either of them moved as well as when McCoy spoke. "He was not speaking. In the time you have known Jim when does he not speak when spoken to?"

McCoy blinked and stood with his mouth hanging open slightly. Then he turned and stomped into his office. Spock straightened his tunic and went to locate his de-aged Captain before he could compromise any of the computer's systems.

****

Spock stared down at the sleeping child in shock. He had not expected to find the Captain in his bed. The boy was curled up on top of the covers. He'd tucked himself into a protective posture that fueled Spock's speculation as to Jim's history. He carefully shook Jim's foot to wake him. Jim jerked awake and kicked him all at the same time. Spock didn't dodge the blow and held still as Jim scrambled away into the corner.

"Please refrain from injuring yourself as I would be required to escort you to the infirmary."

Jim rubbed his face and then shook his head.

Spock cocked his head and raised an eyebrow. "Do you speak?"

Blinking, Jim shrugged. Then he shook his head slightly.

"Very well." Spock held out a PADD. "Perhaps you would feel comfortable with writing instead."

Slowly, Jim edged forward and then snatched the PADD away before backing up until his back was against the wall.

"If you require you may sleep in my quarters."

Shaking his head, Jim back further away until he encountered a chair.

Spock sat on the edge of his bed. "I require nothing of you, Jim. You have quarters of your own. I will show you." Spock lead the way into the bathroom and keyed the panel to open the door into Jim's quarters. Made to look like a wall panel so that the Captain's quarters could be given to visiting dignitaries if necessary, the door to Spock's bathroom was usually used for quick meetings between himself and the Captain. Spock keyed the panel to unlocked mode and stepped through the doorway into his Captain's quarters. "These are your quarters."

Jim edged into the room and stared. There were little things that spoke to him. There was a chess set in the middle of a game on the desk. Jim moved forward and studied the board.

"We were interrupted and unable to finish the game you see in progress."

Looking up sharply, Jim furrowed his brow.

"We have engaged in play as often as our duties allow."

Jim tapped on the PADD and held it out towards Spock, tilting it for Spock to read.

"Yes, we are friends. You have claimed such a relationship several times in the past." Spock settled into the chair at Jim's desk and began programing the small replicator to Jim's new size. "As you are friends with Dr. McCoy. You insist on calling him 'Bones'. You have never explained why." Spock watched as Jim trailed his fingers across edges of items. He was unsurprised when a panel popped out that he had not known would open. Jim glanced at him and then pulled the panel further open. Spock stayed where he was and waited. When Jim brought out several small pouches Spock knew to be field rations, Spock kept silent as Jim tore into one and put the others back.

Partway through the pouch, Jim froze and looked up at him. Spock lifted an eyebrow. "If you are still hungry after finishing more food may be brought from the mess."

Jim frowned and his eyes darted from Spock to the door and back. Then he brought the food with him and moved closer to Spock. When he held the pouch out to Spock it made something in Spock's chest hurt until he drew a deep breath.

"I have eaten." Spock stood and Jim scrambled towards the bed with the pouch of food grasped tightly in one hand. Spock moved towards the connecting door to his bathroom. "I will endeavour to bring you more to eat, Jim. Please make yourself comfortable. The replicator has been given your new measurements so that you may make yourself clothing that fits."

He paused at the door to his quarters before exiting into the hallway and stood concentrating on his breathing for several minutes before proceeding.

****

Jim watched the Vulcan leave and as soon as the door closed he wolfed down the rest of the food in the pouch. Then he listened at the door and made sure Spock wasn't on the other side. Moving quickly he reopened the panel in the wall and pulled out all the food pouches. Sorting them by date he shoved several into a bend in the desk that few people noticed and the rest into a tiny space between the bunk and the wall. He searched the rest of the room and found several more spots with hidden food. All stable environment pouches so there was no worry of spoilage.

Jim checked the tiny replicator and grinned. His measurements were exact. Vulcans were cool with that ability to measure just by looking. Tapping the controls, Jim ordered up pants and a shirt for himself. Moving to the chess game Jim cocked his head and tried to decide if Spock was the black or white player. Then he looked around the room. They'd be wanting the adult him back. He'd have to return to his own time. He didn't want that. Jim pulled the finished clothing on and folded the scrubs from the infirmary carefully.

Maybe he could convince them to let him stay. Jim settled into the most defensible corner of the room as he thought it through. They had to send him back so he could grow up to be here as an adult. He'd just have to survive it. He'd grow up to have this if he did. It was something to hold onto when he went back. Jim tucked his head against his knees and dozed.

****

McCoy was still pissed, but he was too busy trying to break into Jim's file to indulge in a good temper tantrum that he felt he was entitled to have. When Spock strode into the room, Bones was ready to yell at him until he got a look at the set of Spock's eyebrows. Freezing, Bones stared.

"Please give me the PADD, Doctor."

Bones didn't hesitate. He watched as Spock entered his code and then he held the PADD back out. Taking it, Bones punched in his own code and waited for the file to open. "I thought you'd promised Jim."

Spock clasped his hands behind his back. "I will not read the file."

Bones glanced up as the file continued to load. "What happened?"

"Jim has hidden food within his quarters."

Blinking, Bones started reading through the file. "That was fast."

"Not the boy, the Captain."

Startled, Bones dropped the PADD. "What?"

Spock looked to Bones like he was about to explode. "He has modified the wall panels and has hidden field rations."

That was...logical, actually, given Jim's history. Bones shook his head at that horrible thought. "I'll corner Jim about it when he's an adult again. He isn't him in a little body, then? He's regressed to the boy he was."

Spock nodded. Bones refocused on the file and abruptly closed it. "Oh, God." He drew deep breaths, trying not to be sick. "Okay, okay." Spock titled his head and Bones tried to clam down before Spock broke his promise and read the file. "Keep your word to Jim. Don't read that. Ever." Bones pulled out one of his better bottles of liquor and poured himself a drink. He knew now why Jim had been acting like he was afraid of him. "Spock, you're probably the only person Jim is going to trust. I'm asking you as his friend to be very careful with him."

"I will endeavor do so." Spock poured him another glass when Bones' hands shook too hard to do it himself. "I must return to Jim. I have stated that I would bring him food."

Bones nodded. "Okay, go. I'll be fine, Spock." Bones ignored the eyebrow he got in repose and reopened the file and continued on. He was definitely going to kill Jim. Just as soon as he was adult again.

****

Spock entered Jim's quarters and narrowed his eyes at the boy huddling in the corner. He seemed asleep. Spock set the food down on the desk and checked the log for the replicator. He ordered several more sets of clothing in the style Jim had chosen. Carefully approaching Jim, Spock spoke his name in an attempt to wake the boy without getting kicked. Jim jerked his head up and then rubbed his eyes. Spock held out his hand. "I have brought food for you."

Jim scrambled up and eyed Spock's hand before leaning to the left to look past him. Spock stepped to the side and allowed Jim to slip past him towards the desk. As Spock watched Jim eat, he sat down making sure to keep in Jim's sight. "We will be required to return to the planet in the morning."

Jim paused with a bite of food partway to his mouth. He looked at Spock and then went back to eating.

"The Minister has made assurances that you will be returned to the proper age when we return to the planet."

Jim pulled the PADD to him and typed for a moment before holding it out to Spock.

"No, Jim. It is not time travel. You were an adult yesterday until you drank a substance to prevent myself or Doctor McCoy from doing so." Spock pushed the PADD back towards Jim. "You are very protective of the Doctor."

Blinking, Jim fingered the edge of the PADD. He looked down at the crumbs on his plate and then back up at Spock.

"I will retire. Please remain within your quarters. If you have need of anything you may contact Doctor McCoy or myself." Spock retreated to his own quarters quickly. He knelt to meditate. The stress and worry radiating from Jim had taken a toll on him. Spock carefully controlled his breathing as he calmed his mind.

****

When he rose from his mediation, Spock stilled as he caught sight of Jim curled under the covers of his bed. Cocking his head, Spock watched the boy sleep. After several moments, Spock moved, silently crossing his room, through the bathroom, into Jim's quarters. Moving left from the doorway, Spock began searching the room. After finding the third moving panel where there shouldn't be one, Spock froze as across the room several panels popped open all at once. Spock reflexively glanced at the ceiling.

The door chimed and then popped open to allow McCoy to enter.

"What the..." McCoy eyed the room and turned to Spock. "Where's Jim?"

"He is sleeping."

McCoy turned his head to look at the bed and then back towards Spock. "Not in here, obviously. What's all this?" He gestured at the open panels. "Curious about how much he's managed to hide?"

Spock pressed his lips together and straightened up.

"Oh, don't go all fucking Vulcan on me. I'm worried too."

Spock took several carefully controlled breaths. "He is accomplished at hoarding."

McCoy flicked through the pouches in one of the hidey holes. "Yeah, looks like it. He's a goddamn genius. Stupid kid."

"That is an illogical statement, Doctor."

With a grin, McCoy dropped to sit on the edge of Jim's bed. "Feel better now?"

Spock ignored that and sat down. "He had formed the theory of time travel to explain the situation to himself."

"That's not too bad. You know, Jim invited an older Vulcan Ambassador to visit next week."

He hadn't known that. There was only one Vulcan Spock knew Jim would extend an invitation to, and that was his older self. "He should be recovered before his visitor arrives."

"Yeah, well, just in case he isn't I wanted you to know. Jim was going to make it a surprise for you, so you don't know, alright?"

"I shall endeavor to keep quiet on the matter, although I do not understand the need to surprise me."

McCoy smiled and rubbed his hand through his hair. "Please, I'm not falling for that bullshit. You know why Jim wants to surprise you."

Spock actually wasn't certain, but he would not say so to McCoy. Instead he gestured to the open panels. "Do you know of any command that the Captain could use to make all the panels open at once?"

Blinking, McCoy looked around at the various panels. "Well, no. I suppose...You ever have the ship do something for you?" Rubbing the knuckles of one hand, McCoy looked at Spock. "I'd swear the ship sometimes does things that it shouldn't be able to do. I've heard patients say things sometimes about what the ship did to help them."

Spock touched a bishop with his finger as he considered that. "I require more data before forming a theory." He did not mention the various times he had observed the ship giving the Captain what he wanted even when it was not proper. Codes were the best example. "Is there a reason for your visit, Doctor?"

McCoy rolled his eyes and Spock cocked an eyebrow at him. "I just wanted to check on Jim."

Spock understood and lead the way through his bathroom into his quarters. Jim was still curled under the covers of his bed. The posture was defensive and he was unnaturally quiet. He watched as McCoy ran a tricorder over Jim.

"You have any idea why he likes your bed?" McCoy held out the tricorder towards him.

Spock took the tricorder and looked over the readings. "I do not. He appears to be healthy given the circumstances."

McCoy muttered to himself as he took the tricorder back. Spock ignored the comments as they were insulting and nothing he had not heard before. Spock lead the way back into the Captain's quarters and watched as McCoy sat down and fidgeted with his tricorder. Clasping his hands behind his back, Spock tried to decide what would be appropriate to say or if silence would be more acceptable to McCoy.

McCoy sighed. "He's in better shape than I'd have expected, actually." McCoy stood abruptly and started closing panels. "I know we tend to bicker a lot, but I think we need to call a truce until Jim's normal again."

Spock moved to help with the panels. "I agree that stressing the Captain is unproductive at this time."

"He wouldn't mind you using his bed, you know." McCoy gathered up his tricorder and moved towards the door. "Just be...careful. He's not Jim as you know him, okay?"

"Goodnight, Doctor." Spock waited until the door closed behind the Doctor before picking up the PADD left behind by Jim and moving through the bathroom into his own quarters. Jim was curled up and remained unnaturally still. "You are safe here, Jim."

There was a muffled noise from the bed and then Jim's head appeared above the covers. He blinked as Spock sat the PADD down near the bed.

"Please sleep, Jim. I will watch over you."

Jim yawned and patted the bed. Spock hesitated for a moment and then sat down where indicated. Jim reached out and then stopped, his fingers hovering over Spock's hand. Jim looked up at him and then stroked the back of Spock's hand with his fingertips. Spock was hit with the worry and near panic of Jim's feelings. He forced himself to relax his stiff posture and Jim curled into his side.

Spock tried to keep breathing as Jim emotions swept over him. He picked up an edge of a buried want and Spock ghosted his fingers over Jim's hair. The want bloomed and the panic ebbed away. Slowly, Jim drifted to sleep as Spock carefully rubbed his fingers over Jim's hair and down to the fabric covering Jim's small back. Leaning back, Spock allowed himself to slip into sleep with his hand resting on Jim's head.

****

Jim woke warm and strangely non-hungry. There was a hand on his head. Shifting slightly, Jim creaked an eye open and found himself looking at a pointed ear. Oh, right, the Vulcan, Spock. He'd not wanted anything, which Jim wasn't sure what to think about that. He wondered if Spock would try to make him do anything, or if he would remain the nice adult he was being now. Spock's fingers started rubbing on his neck. Jim felt heavy. He blinked slowly and yawned widely as his body relaxed. He liked Spock. He really hoped he'd continue to be a nice person. Jim slipped back into sleep.

****

Spock edged himself away from Jim and moved to sit at his desk. He had not promised the Captain he would not read the file he'd helped McCoy unlock. He'd only implied he would not. He paused with his fingers poised over the controls that would open the file. He looked at Jim sleeping fitfully and thought about the emotions he'd picked up from Jim while the boy had been awake and also while asleep.

Turning back, Spock opened the file. He read quickly and stopped as abruptly as he'd seen McCoy do. Closing his eyes, Spock forced control on his own emotions. He started reading again. Purposefully pushing himself to read as quickly as possible. As Spock came to video files he checked on Jim and turned the volume off before opening the first video. The PADD automatically put in subtitles when the volume was muted, but Spock didn't need them to know what was happening. The quality of the video was poor, but the boy in it was Jim.

Several minutes into it, Spock broke the PADD when he clenched his hands. Bowing his head, Spock tried to force down the rage he felt.

"I deserved it." Jerking his head up, Spock came face to face with Jim. He was standing, holding one elbow with his other hand. His feet bare on the carpet.

"Why do you believe that?"

Jim pressed his lips together and shook his head.

"You were not at fault." Spock pried his fingers from the sheds of the PADD. He stilled as Jim stepped forward and gently turned over one hand. "You were very brave and managed admirably in the circumstances given to you."

Jim looked up through his mussed hair as he checked over Spock's bleeding hand. "I wanted to live."

Spock dripped blood on the console and touched the emergency button to signal McCoy. "You did very well, Jim. I am proud of you."

Blinking, Jim grinned. Then he frowned and gestured at the remains of the PADD as he raised his eyebrows.

"I felt the need to understand. Your older self had requested I never access the information."

Jim nodded and patted Spock's forearm. Then he smiled sadly. "I like you."

There were foot steps outside Spock's door and he was not surprised when Jim retreated into his bathroom. He ignored most of the cursing and comments from McCoy as the Doctor treated the injuries he had inflicted on himself.

"What the hell were you thinking?"

Spock finished inspecting McCoy's work. "I do not know what you are referring to, Doctor."

"Don't 'Doctor' me, you overgrown green-blooded elf. He asked you never to access that file because he knew how much it would upset you."

"I am not upset."

McCoy rolled his eyes. "Whatever." He sagged, his shoulders slumping. "Spock, look...Jim is all bluster and ego right up until it is something that hurts. Then he clams up tighter than an airlock. If the kid will talk to you, let him. Please."

Spock looked towards his bed. "I understand, Leonard." He allowed McCoy to lead him to his bed. When McCoy pressed a hypo to his skin, Spock did not protest. "I do not understand why some humans act in the matter they do towards children." He couldn't control his descent into sleep as McCoy's drugs took him away.

Above him McCoy checked his tricorder. "No one does, Spock. No one at all."

****

Jim waited until the Doctor poked his head into the room and left again before getting up and taking several pouches of food and his PADD with him back into Spock's room. Hiding one of the pouches under Spock's desk, he climbed up beside Spock on the bed. He tucked the remaining pouches into the crack between the bed and the wall. Then he pulled up the file Spock had been looking at and, after a little hacking, opened it to where Spock had been. Muting the volume, Jim watched the vid play out on the tiny screen. He remembered that. They'd held him down and played with him because they'd found him out after curfew trying to gather plants that might prove edible. He wondered if they were still alive. He watched himself as though it was some other boy. Some other person being hurt and no one coming to the rescue.

Looking down at Spock, Jim thought that if he'd been there he'd have interfered. Checking Spock's hands, Jim decided the Doctor probably wasn't too bad. Going back to the PADD he advanced to a vid with a date he didn't remember. Curious, Jim opened the file and gasped. He dropped the PADD to the covers and groped for Spock's lax hand. He stared at himself. He looked horrible. Starved and desperate. The taunts from the men in the background washed over him as he read them and on screen he panted heavily.

He remembered why they'd recorded him. The leader had said he made such pretty memories. Just as he was about to shut down the vid with shaking fingers, the scene changed. He was pulled out of frame by someone. Then there was screaming, indistinct according to the subtitles. Jim stabbed the button to shut down the PADD. He wrapped his small fingers around Spock's long fingers and tried not to be sick. He was tired and the only thing that made it better was he wouldn't have to go back since it wasn't time travel.

He felt the PADD slid off his lap as he went to sleep, but Jim was too tired to care.

****

Bones slipped into Spock's quarters without sounding his arrival. He stood just inside the door and watched Jim and Spock sleep. Jim had draped himself across Spock's stomach, his ear against the spot where Spock's heart was. Moving forward, Bones sat down the food he'd brought and then checked them both over with his tricorder. Pleased with the readings for Spock's hands, Bones frowned at Jim's readings. He hoped that the adult version of Jim wouldn't be too mad when he learned Spock hurt himself from watching the file. He still couldn't understand why they'd kept those vids in there. He could understand needing them for trials, but after that...It just didn't make sense. As he started to back away, Jim's eyes popped open.

"Hey." He tried to be quiet and he pointed at Spock. "He's still sleeping. You okay?"

Jim yawned. Then he blinked at Bones before nodding.

"Good, good. I brought food, if you want some."

Jim frowned and pressed himself into Spock.

"No, I'm not asking you for..." Bones swallowed. "I'm not them, Jim. We're best friends and I wouldn't hurt you unless I had to."

Pressing his lips together, Jim edged towards him. Bones caught the PADD as it fell over the edge of the bed. Moving away, Bones sat the PADD on the desk and brought back the juice.

"At least drink something. You worry me, Jim."

Taking the juice, Jim watched him and Spock as he drank. Handing the empty cup to him, Jim yawned again and then frowned.

"You being tired isn't a bad thing, kid."

Jim looked up sharply at that. Blinking, he petted Spock's hand and watched Bones as he did.

Bones snorted. "He needs to sleep too, no matter what he says. I just helped a little."

With a nod, Jim laid back down and watched Bones with sleepy eyes.

****

Bones was happy that Jim seemed willing to go anywhere as long as he could be within a meter of Spock. It made it much easier to convince the boy to go with them to the planet. Watching him stare around the transporter room as they waited on Spock to come from the bridge made Bones wonder if this version of Jim had ever dealt with a transporter before. The boy stared at the console settings as Spock came in. Bones smiled as Jim pointed out something to Spock with excited facial expressions. Spock explained the transporter's abilities as Bones rechecked his bag one last time.

As they waited for the Minister to look over Jim, Bones rechecked his medical bag mostly to calm his nerves. He had everything he needed to stop or reverse any of Jim's allergic reactions. He'd been surprised by some of the things Jim was currently allergic to that he wasn't allergic to as an adult.

The Minister looked over Jim with obvious delight. It was all Bones could do not to punch him. As he watched Spock and the Minister hash out the mining rights while Jim more or less hid behind Spock. It was sadly amusing. Bones nearly jumped out of his skin when Jim darted away from the Minister's outstretched hand to his side. Gingerly setting his hand on Jim's shoulder, Bones smiled down on him.

"He won't touch you, Jim."

Jim edged closer to him as Bones turned his attention to the Minister's pet scientist as he approached with a glass of foul smelling liquid. The Minister came closer with Spock right beside him.  
"Your Captain is a treasure, Doctor McCoy."

Bones glared at him. "You don't know the half of it." He motioned to the scientist. "That is safe to give him, right?"

The Minister beamed in that manic way that worried Bones all the more. "Of course. We would not endanger such wonderful trading partners as yourselves."

Bones suppressed the snort he wanted to make at that. He opened his tricorder as Spock handed Jim the glass and explained why he had to drink it. Jim looked up at Spock and smiled that beautiful smile of his that made Bones melt a little inside.

"Thanks for being nice."

Bones bit his lip at Jim's quiet statement. Jim eyed the glass of liquid and downed it in one gulp. Bones grasped his arm as Jim swayed. His tricorder started screaming and Bones started pulling the proper preloaded hypo from his bag before Jim even hit the floor.

Spock pushed back the Minister and knelt beside Bones and Jim. Bones didn't have to reach for anything as Spock was handing him what he needed before he could even open his mouth to ask. Yelling at Jim to stay _here_ damnit, Bones stabbed him with several hypos and waited for the readings to change. Cursing when Jim's breathing started to become labored, Bones pressed in another hypo and hissed at Spock to get them back to the ship. As Spock spoke into his communicator, Bones stood up and advanced on the Minister.

"You had better hope he survives, you stupid asshole." Bones punched the sniveling Minister right in the nose, proud to hear the crunching of cartilage and bone. Turning back to Jim he ignored the shouts and yowling behind him as the transporter took them away.

****

Spock finally gave Uhura permission to accept the Minister's humble apologies for nearly killing the Captain several hours after Jim had stabilized. He felt too much unchecked rage to trust himself to see to it. Instead he hovered beside Jim's tiny form laid quietly on the biobed nearest McCoy's office. He could hear McCoy complaining to Chapel about the treatment of his knuckles' abrasions through the closed office door.

The formulas that the Minister's scientists had gladly given up were unhelpful in attempting to figure out how to return the Captain to his proper size and age. The assurances that this had never happened before did nothing to sooth Spock. There was nothing about the nannites used that made logical sense to Spock. Tapping on his PADD, Spock tried another model to see if that would help. When it ended with Jim's death, Spock shut down the PADD and sat watching Jim breath.

It took several minutes for McCoy to appear. He was fidgeting with his nearly healed hand as he approached. "He'll wake up soon, Spock."

Looking up at McCoy, Spock rose his eyebrow. "Indeed. Is your hand well, Doctor?"

McCoy flexed his hand and grinned. "Never felt better." He shifted his weight from one foot to the another. "Spock...I don't know any way of fixing Jim if their method won't work."

Spock reactivated his PADD. "I have not found any method that does not result in the Captain's death."

Blowing a hard breath out, McCoy dropped to sit on the edge of the biobed. "Shit." He rubbed his hand through his hair. "Well, we'll just have to tell StarFleet how well their important trading deal went."

"I have informed them of the beneficial outcome of the trade negotiations."

McCoy nodded. "And you told them about the Captain suddenly being a child."

"No." Spock sat the PADD down. "I have said nothing about Jim's current condition. He is listed as on medical leave for a nearly fatal allergic reaction."

Blinking, McCoy rubbed his forehead. "Nice to know who I have on medical leave." Then he sighed and looked down at Jim. "Okay. Any idea how long we can avoid telling StarFleet?"

Spock straightened a bit more than normal. "As long as is required."

McCoy grinned. "You're a good person, Spock." He stood and clapped Spock on the shoulder than then waved at Jim. "You can take him back to his quarters once he wakes up and I've looked him over."

****

Jim woke up and groaned. Blinking his eyes open he started at the sight of Spock far too close. Shooting up, Jim swayed as his head spun. Spock held out a glass of water. Jim gratefully drank, getting the horrible aftertaste out of his mouth.

"You had an adverse reaction to the re-aging agent."

Jim nodded and handed back the glass. He remembered not being able to breathe and the Doctor over him yelling something. He vaguely remembered seeing the nice nurse, Chapel.

Spock took the glass and put it down on the desk. As he came back he held a PADD. "Before you were reverted to your current age you invited a Vulcan dignitary to visit."

Cocking his head, Jim crinkled his brow.

"You will understand once you've read this." Spock handed him the PADD he'd been holding.

Jim watched him back up and sit down heavily. Glancing down at the PADD and then back up to Spock, Jim wondered what he could have done to weigh so heavily on the Vulcan. He focused on the PADD and read through the report on screen. Oh. Jim sat the PADD down carefully. Standing, Jim went to Spock and patted his knee. "I'm sorry."

Spock settled his hand on Jim's shoulder. "You saved Earth. You attempted to save Vulcan. You have nothing to be sorry for, Jim."

Jim darted back across the room, grabbed up the PADD, and brought it back with him. "He's you." He pointed at the line in the report. "Same name."

Spock took the PADD and sat it down beside the bed. "He came back through time in an attempt to stop what happened. He told you that we would become friends."

Jim smiled and nodded as he moved to lay back down. Then he frowned and looked at Spock.

"He will understand your current circumstances, Jim. I will endeavour to return you to your normal state before his arrival." Spock pulled the covers over Jim's small frame. "McCoy has informed me that you were going to surprise me with the visit of my elder self."

Jim patted Spock's forearm and grinned a little. Spock smoothed the wrinkles out of the blanket. Jim yawned as that heavy feeling came back. He liked this life. He didn't want it to end, even if it turned out to be a dream.

****

Spock had not expected to have Jim so happy to met an adult. As they moved through Engineering, Jim drifted more than a meter away from him as Scotty described everything the engines could do. Jim stared around them with wide eyes. As Jim followed Keenser into an alcove to look at a part of the antimatter reaction chamber's cooling system, Scotty stepped closer to Spock.

"Sir, I donna know what the Captain's life was like as a boy, but he's a bit thin." Scotty jerked a thumb towards where Jim was busy pouring over the equations that made the engine possible. "He's a bit skittish for a boy his age, Commander."

"Indeed." Spock made a mental note to download several texts on complex math for Jim when they returned to the Captain's quarters. After discussing what little they had learned from the planets' scientists with Scott, Spock herded Jim out of Engineering to a turbolift. Jim grinned up at him and held out his PADD. Spock tilted it to read and nodded. "Yes, Jim. Mr. Scot is proud of the ship's engines."

When the lift opened, Spock watched as Jim darted out and down the hallway. Following at a more sedate pace, Spock found himself considering how to keep the boy close should they not be able to restore him to the man he had been. He would need to speak to his elder self as well as his father when... if that were to arise. As they entered his quarters, Spock settled into the chair at his desk and ignored the packets of food peeking out from Jim's hiding place under the desk. After downloading several math texts into a PADD, Spock nudged the packets more securely in their hiding place.

Jim came back through from his quarters moments later. His face had a smudge of food along one corner of his mouth. He held his PADD out as he approached.

Spock read the PADD and shook his head. "No, Jim. I do not require any compensation for showing you Mr. Scott's domain."

Pressing his lips, together Jim gestured to the room at large.

"Nor are you required to earn lodging in the manner you have been forced to in the past."

Jim brows drew together and he shook his head. He tapped rapidly on his PADD and then shoved it towards Spock.

The text made Spock sigh. He turned in the chair and clasped his hands, rubbing at the bandage McCoy insisted he wear until this evening with his thumb. "You are a child and should be provided for so that you may grow and learn." Spock retrieved the PADD from the desk that held the math texts and held it out to Jim. "This is for you to study."

Jim had that lost look again as he took the PADD.

Spock leaned back slightly. "Perhaps you would eat lunch with myself and Dr. McCoy."

Looking up from the PADD in his hand, Jim pressed his lips together and then he frowned deeply. With a shake of his head, Jim retreated to the bed.

Spock watched Jim become absorbed into his new math texts. Turning, Spock began running new models to see if there was a new outcome.

"He could eat here."

Pulling out of his research, Spock looked over at Jim. The boy had a determined expression and was nervously turning his PADD over and over in his hands.

"Indeed, Dr. McCoy would find a shared meal enjoyable."

Jim looked up from twirling his PADD and nodded.

****

Ambassador Spock sighed to himself as the shuttle thumped against the deck. He found he disliked traveling in this alternate timeline. He illogically longed for the easy travel of the ships that had yet to be built. Moving out of the way of a species he didn't recognize, Spock oriented himself. He was supposed to wait at this Starbase. Jim had assured him that he would arrive within several hours of Spock. He had decided on a window of several days from the agreed upon arrival. Jim's world did not typically work as smoothly as he might like.

"Ambassador!"

Turning, Spock found Bones hurrying towards him. This McCoy he found he could not think of by any name except Bones. He found that odd, but this version of his friend had different eyes and several mannerisms that did not match his memories of Admiral McCoy. "Yes."

Bones stood, heaving for breath. He gulped down air and steadied himself. "We have a little bit of a situation. Jim...the Captain will not be able to meet you."

Spock raised his eyebrows and was amused that Bones looked surprised as he did so. "I had been given to understand that Captain Kirk invited me to visit his ship. Is he not well?"

With a blink, Bones shook himself and picked up Spock's bag. "Not exactly. We've had an incident. Uh, you'll see what I mean when we get there. I'm sure that you'll find Commander Spock to be...acceptable."

Following Bones, Spock nudged a path through the crowd as Bones plowed through them. "The Captain sent you in his place?"

Bones looked over his shoulder and nearly crashed into a stranger. "Not...Look, you'll just have to see it to believe it. I know I did." Several meters further on the crowd thinned and Bones waited for Spock to walk alongside him. "Look, you remind me strongly of Commander Spock and I don't want to see Jim upset, so I'm asking you, politely, to be careful in your interactions. Please?"

Something most have happened for Bones to be willing to ask for politeness from someone he considered to be akin to a robot. Spock followed Bones onto the shuttle that would take them to the ship. "Of course, Doctor."

Bones did a double take and Spock realized just how much like himself he most have sounded. Perhaps this was not a good idea. He would tell Jim when he saw him. He attempted to distract Bones during the flight. He remembered it had taken several years for the man to become comfortable with shuttle travel. Bones heaved a sigh when they stepped off the shuttle onto the decking of the _Enterprise_.

Bones smiled at him as they approached his younger self who looked ragged to Spock's eyes. They greeted one another as was proper for Vulcans and then Commander Spock turned to Bones.

"Would you escort the Ambassador to his quarters?"

Bones threw a hard look his younger self and then smiled widely. "Of course, Jim will be pleased to let him stay in the Captain's quarters. Please come this way, Ambassador."

Spock watched his younger self stiffen and shook his head slightly to reassure him. He was certain whatever had detained the young Captain he'd be more than willing to explain when they met.

****

As Bones ushered him through the doorway, Spock looked about Jim's quarters. They were far more tidy than he remembered Jim being. Spock fingered the edge of the chess board with a game in progress. He decided after a few moments that his younger self was playing the black side. Making himself comfortable as Bones had gone back out the door, Spock waited. He knew that Bones would not willing have left Sickbay if Jim was injured, so his young friend was not in danger.

A section of wall opened and a young boy darted into the room and froze. Spock steadied himself with a hand on Jim's desk. Yes, that would be a reason for Jim to not keep their appointment. "James."

The boy blinked, cocked his head, and edged closer.

Spock held out his free hand. "It is good to see you well, James." He held still as Jim slowly reached out and tentatively touched his hand. The emotions were more jumbled than Spock expected. He'd found that this timeline was much darker for having lost so much. It had occurred to him that Jim's childhood would be equally as darkened. He smiled at his young friend and projected his feelings towards Jim. "You are safe, James."

Jim started to silently cry and he launched himself into Spock's open arms. Letting himself drop to the deck with Jim clinging to him, Spock rubbed Jim's back as the boy started to sob. Murmuring in Vulcan, Spock comforted him as best he could. His younger self appeared with Bones in tow. Spock ignored them both as he soothed and calmed Jim.

When Bones muttered 'fuck' to himself, Spock allowed his features to soften. "I would request you never change, Bones."

Bones jerked as did Jim and Spock watched his younger self cock an eyebrow. He now understood why it had so annoyed Jim at times. Jim pulled back and sniffed as he wiped his face with his sleeve. "Friends?"

Spock smiled slightly, just enough to throw the adults and reassure Jim. "Always. You have always been and always will be my friend."

Bones dropped to sit on the edge of Jim's bed. "Holy shit. You're...he...Fuck." Bones rubbed his eyes. "Really?"

Spock helped Jim to stand and then allowed his younger self to help him. "Yes. I attempted to stop Nero and failed."

Jim sniffed and looked from Spock to the younger version. Then he patted Spock's arm. "Sorry."

Laying his hand over Jim's, Spock stilled Jim. "You tried to save Vulcan and you did save Earth. I am very proud of your accomplishments. As well as those of your crew." Turning from Jim as he blushed, Spock looked at his younger self. "You are having difficulties with the transporters again?" It was the most likely culprit. Spock watched his younger self think and move away with his fingers twitching with the need to calculate the possibilities.

Bones sat down in a chair he pulled closer and Spock pushed Jim up onto his bed and sat down. He allowed the boy to curl into his side as he waited for Bones to explain. As he listened he stroked his fingers down Jim's small arm.

"You struck the Minister?"

Bones blinked. "Yeah, I was about to tell you that part. How'd you know that?"

"You were also my friend and some actions remain predictable across timelines." He eased the now sleeping Jim down onto his bed and flipped the cover over to help keep his temperature constant. "He is allergic to many more things in this timeline."

"Why'd he..." Bones made a vague motion with his hand towards Jim. "He hasn't cried that I know about."

Spock checked that Jim was not feigning sleep, then he looked up to find both his younger self and Bones watching him. "You do not call him James. It matters to him. Jim is the name he wishes to be called. James is the name only his brother and, I believe, his mother used with any frequency." He looked around Jim's quarters once again. "He is uncertain if he is going to be required to return to what he remembers leaving. Also, I am older than any of the men that harmed him." Spock tucked the edge of the cover under Jim's leg to make sure the boy wouldn't roll himself out of the bed. "He knows that I am Spock."

His younger self frowned and bent his head back to the formulas he was working on.

"He trusts Spock not to hurt him because we are Vulcan." Spock watched both of them freeze for a moment before they both started moving again. "Also, humans more readily trust someone that smiles."

Bones' jaw dropped open and Spock forced himself to control his desire to smirk at him. "You read his file. He hasn't told us anything about what he's been trough and you just _know_ it." Bones shoot up and started pacing.

Spock watched him pace as, at Jim's desk, his younger self stopped and took several deep breaths. "It was many years before Jim told me of his childhood. I had, on occasion, found food where it should not be, but had not commented on it. This timeline appears to have harsher events. I simply extrapolated from what I knew. I have not read the file for this timeline."

"You read it in your timeline, didn't you?" Bones stopped pacing and dropped into a chair.

"When Jim gave it to me to read, yes." Spock pressed his lips together for a moment. "It was difficult to complete." He rubbed his hands slowly together. "I broke a finger when I reacted strongly to the material."

Bones' eyebrows rose. "Uh." He jerked a thumb towards the younger Spock. "He cut up his hands breaking a PADD." Bones ignored the glare directed at him with practiced ease. "Not that he wants anyone to know that, you understand."

"I was unprepared for the graphic nature of the recorded video, Doctor."

Spock watched his younger self's stiff movements as he spoke. Bones rubbed the backs of his hands in turn, which made Spock calculate the odds of Bones having broken his knuckles punching a bulkhead.

"Yeah, well, I'm not even sure why it was left intact after the whole thing was done and over with."

"There was not a video in my timeline." Spock rose and retrieved a PADD from beside his younger self's elbow. Within a few minutes he was reading this timeline's version of the events that had made his version of Jim so protective of children. Only his knowledge that Jim had survived to grow into a good man kept Spock from giving into the anger he felt as he skimmed through the videos. He quickly checked each offender's file and made certain they were dead or still being detained. "This is more harm than in my timeline."

Bones looked up from checking over Jim. "What do you mean?"

Spock sat the PADD aside. "There was only one adult that harmed Jim. He was a predator that took advantage of the situation." Spock steepled his fingers together and watched his younger self frown at him. It took Spock a moment to realize he looked more like Sarek at that moment. "This timeline differs greatly in several areas."

"You miss your timeline?" Bones produced a small bottle of liquor from his medical bag.

"I admit to feeling out of place." Spock watched as his younger self sat back and turned to watch them. "It is more pronounced now."

"Do the transporters work differently than you remember?" His younger self watched him, even as his hand went back to inputting something on his PADD.

Spock cocked an eyebrow. "I have not reviewed the specifics of these transporters. They do not show the same visual signature." He re-tucked Jim's blanket as the boy dislodged it while he dreamed. "If you have had difficulties finding a way to return Jim to his proper age you should consider asking the Guardian of Forever for the answer." They both stopped and looked at him. It occurred to Spock that they might not have come across the Guardian in this timeline. He drew a sharp breath. His son would not be born. He looked up as Bones started towards him. "I am well. I will give you the coordinates for the planet we encountered the Guardian of Forever on."

****

Jim waited until the old Spock was alone with him. Moving closer, Jim held out his PADD. This Spock smiled a little at him as he accepted the PADD.

"If you are hungry, you may eat, James. I will not interfere." Spock read the PADD and looked at him. "Yes, I have traveled in time, but you have not. You will not be required to return to your remembered time as you will be transformed back into your adult self."

Jim gestured between himself and Spock as he frowned. Spock handed him back the PADD and moved to sit on the bed as he waited for Jim's question to be typed in.

"No. You are finding yourself reacting to myself or the younger version of me with trust in a manner I believe involves something inherently Vulcan." Spock lifted an eyebrow. "You have found that you are very comfortable when in skin contact with either myself or Spock, is that correct?"

Jim nodded and settled next to Spock on the bed. Arranging them so that Jim would not feel trapped, Spock took one of Jim's hand into his own. Jim's emotions were more stable now and Spock gently tugged on Jim's calm until it spread more. Jim blinked up at him and made a small noise in his throat.

"You are well. I am demonstrating the manner in which I believe you are being affected. It is possible that Spock is instinctively protecting you in this manner."

"Warm. He makes me feel heavy." Jim yawned and Spock backed off what he'd been doing to Jim's emotions.

"This is something that Vulcans do not speak of, James. We have... bonds that form between ourselves and each member of our family. Mostly likely he doesn't not recognize the bond for what it is as this type of bond would not be something he has experienced before."

Jim wiggled and pulled away enough to stare up at him. "I'm family?"

Spock hugged Jim tightly to him. "Yes, my friend. You are his t'hy'la. This is something very important to be to him."

Pressing his nose into Spock's shoulder, Jim relaxed completely. "You too?"

"The you in my timeline was my t'hy'la. Here I would be proud to call you this as well, if you would allow it of me." Spock watched Jim look up at him with a carefully assessing gaze. Spock lifted his eyebrows and softened his neutral expression. "You would, of course, remain primarily Spock's t'hy'la. He needs you just to be yourself."

Jim blinked. "I'm broken."

Gently carding his fingers through Jim's hair, Spock shook his head. "You are not broken, James. You are only hurt. It will heal. Scarring somewhat as it does, but scars allow for interesting features. You are the most interesting human I have ever met."

The smile was huge and edged with pain, but Spock didn't care as he watched Jim's face light up. Then Jim thought of something and he stopped smiling. "The Doctor?"

Spock snorted. "He is uncompromisingly himself. I believe you liked that about him very much in my timeline. He and I argued and bickered to amuse you as well as ourselves."

Jim frowned. "They don't like each other here."

"They will adjust. They like each other too much to be as comfortable near each other. It causes difficulties. In my timeline it took several decades for us to work out what was between us. Perhaps you will be able to help them more this time."

The boy's expression became thoughtful and Spock was pleased. He allowed himself to drift to sleep.

****

Jim watched as the old Spock helped his Spock work out some problem. They were almost to the planet the older Spock had suggested they visit. Jim moved closer to them and he liked the warm feeling that swept over him when he kept close to the two of them. Spock tucked him in against his side as the younger Spock pointed out something on the screen. Jim hadn't been trying to follow it because he didn't really care.

The planet that appeared on the view screen was ugly. Jim didn't like it at all. Spock squeezed his shoulder and Jim calmed. He trusted that the old Spock wouldn't hurt him and he wouldn't make his Spock hurt him either. They got involved in a discussion about how this thing they were going to talk to worked and Jim wondered away. The pretty lady at the other station looked at him and Jim waved at her.

She smiled and beckoned him over, but Jim shook his head. He didn't want to touch humans. They all made him uncomfortable. Bones was the easiest and even he was too touchy for Jim's liking. He'd get used to it though. He wanted the relationship that the old Spock hinted at existing between the three of them when he was an adult again. He'd really like having two friends that considered him important. It would be...good. Jim smiled at the pretty lady, Uhura, he remembered, to make sure she didn't think there was something wrong.

Suddenly the lady cocked her head and turned away from him towards her station. Then there was a flurry of activity and Jim found himself being bundled up by his Spock in freshly replicated coat and boots over his own clothing.

"He thinks this will work?" Jim had found that by not using Spock's name when he spoke to Spock that he didn't upset his Spock as much.

"The Ambassador has dealt with this entity in his own timeline. He is hopeful that the answer to your predicament lies on this planet."

Jim nodded and allowed Spock to push his boot on. Boots were hard without help. He held up his other foot. "You think it will work?"

"I remain uncertain."

They walked together to the transporter room. Jim smiled at Bones who looked nervous and made sure he was between both of the Vulcans.

****

Bones was ready to scream. If there was any doubt in the Ambassador being Spock's older version there wasn't after watching them move for more than a few seconds. They also drove him crazy. Touching samples, talking to each other in technical babble that Bones was certain even an adult Jim would have trouble following. As they came around the corner of a ruin, the Ambassador went quiet. Bones looked at the bit of ruin Spock was focused on. It certainly didn't look like much.

"That's it? Really?" Spock ignored him, which was not that unusual an experience for Bones.

The Ambassador motioned for them to stop and approached the tall donut looking thing alone. Bones startled as the thing spoke.

"Greetings."

The Ambassador stood before the Guardian. "Greetings, Guardian of Forever. I am Ambassador Spock, former First Officer and Science Officer of the starship _Enterprise_. I have traveled with you many times. I would ask you a question."

There was silence and it felt to Bones like a listening silence. Spock shifted and took a deep breath.

"Do you know of a method with which to return this James T. Kirk to his proper age?" Spock motioned to Jim as he spoke.

"All things are possible."

Spock nodded and stepped closer to the Guardian. "I have not asked you to reset the timeline in which I find myself. I am only asking to correct a small accident."

Bones shivered. If it could reset timelines...Bones gasped. It could fix Vulcan, bring back Spock's mother. That was what Spock was implying. Bones looked at Commander Spock and could see that he'd thought of that as well.

In front of them the Guardian began to glow and then a figure tumbled from within. Bones moved forward to help and the Ambassador stiffened, causing Bones to pull up short.

"You." Spock looked furious as he turned to the Guardian. He stopped and took a careful breath. "Please show me Sarpeidon's past."

"The planet's past. It has no future." Inside the ring lit up and Spock watched it intently. At his feet the figure rolled over and Bones could see it wore some sort of Star Fleet uniform. It was mostly red, but cut differently than a cadet's uniform. The man shook his head and blinked rapidly. He started to stand and lost his balance as he did so. As he stumbled towards the Guardian lightening sparked across the space between them and Bones shouted.

The man flew back on his butt. "Ow."

From the Guardian there was several small arches of lightening and then another man tumbled from the Guardian just as it went dark. Spock knelt beside the newest person and rolled him over gently. "Zar." The other man sat up and the Ambassador turned towards him. "Q, you continue to be the most exasperating being I have ever encountered."

Bones moved forward and went where Spock indicated and ran his tricorder over the Vulcan looking man. "You feel okay?"

The man blinked and stared at him. Then he turned his head and looked at the Vulcans. "Well, this is unexpected."

Ambassador Spock knelt beside them. "You are well, Zar?"

"I'm fine, Father. What has happened? You're two."

Bones could only blink. He felt frozen to the ground. He'd never thought...What the hell? "What just happened?"

Spock glared at the being he'd called Q. "He is spreading chaos as is his want."

Q shook his head as if to clear it. "Me? What did I do?" He grabbed his head. "Ow. I think I hurt myself. Is this what a migraine feels like?" He stood up and shook his head again. "Well, no wonder Captain Picard is such a grump." He snapped his fingers and frowned. "That isn't normal." He snapped his fingers again. Then he turned towards the Ambassador. "You touched me!"

"I did not." Spock frowned slightly. "Stop yelling. You interacted with the Guardian. Lightening arched between you."

Q spun around to stare at the Guardian. "Well, who would have thought it had that amount of power left. Hmph." He turned to look at Jim and Commander Spock standing a short distance away. "It has always liked you best."

Bones helped the Ambassador and Zar to stand up. "How would you know? And why is touching Spock a bad thing?"

The Ambassador frowned at Q. "I will explain later. Q, are you well?"

"Well? Well! I'm just dandy." Q looked down at himself and made a face. "I feel like I've been run over by the Cube I was just annoying."

Bones could only watch as Spock moved faster than he'd have expected the old man to be able to do.

"You did not bring it with you? Please tell me you did not drag a Borg Cube with you into the past."

Q blinked. "The past? You were just trying to save the Romulan sun, weren't you? I looked in on you just moments ago..." Q paused and cocked his head as though he was hearing something. "Oh, dear."

Bones dragged Zar with him and he hurried towards Jim and the younger Spock. That did not sound good. Not at all. The Ambassador had that Vulcan expression of panic and had grabbed hold of Q's sleeve to drag him closer as well. Bones didn't have to call the ship since the younger Spock was already talking. They appeared in the transporter room just as the ship rocked.

****

Jim followed as the adults raced to the bridge. The new Vulcan wasn't acting very Vulcan. He smiled at Jim and helped him along as they moved. The older Spock was bodily dragging the Q person with them by his uniform. Despite the loud protests. Jim could tell that the older Spock was really upset.

As the lift moved with them all jammed together, Jim looked at the two new adults carefully. "I'm Jim."

The new Vulcan's eyes widened and he glanced at the older Spock, who nodded, then he turned back and squatted in front of Jim. "I am Zar. Spock is my father."

Jim had thought that's what he'd said on the planet, but he'd not been sure. He tried to force his hand into the Vulcan salute, only to have Zar grin and shake his hand in the human style. The lift opened to chaos. Jim allowed Zar to pull them out of the way near Uhura.

Zar gaped at her for a moment and then he knelt down next to Jim. "Jim, this is the _Enterprise_, correct?"

He nodded and focused on his Spock snapping orders as the older Spock argued with Q. Bones hovered near him and Zar, but watched the argument.

"It isn't my fault." Q folded his arms across his chest. "I was minding my own business when _bam_, I suddenly found myself with a headache." Q pouted. "I've never had a headache before."

"You should savor the experience then." The Ambassador gestured at the huge ship partly broken on the view-screen as he glared at Q. "The _Enterprise E_ could barely battle that _thing_..." Spock whirled at stared at the view-screen before turning back to Q. "You do realize that without Data commanding a future ship no _Enterprise_ survives the time-slip that nearly allowed the Borg to destroy the original _Enterprise_?"

"I didn't tell him to jump ship and blow up." Q made a huge arm movement and it looked to Jim like he was a little wobbly. "What the hell did you want me for anyway? You're usually trying to be rid of me, which is so depressing."

"You insist on playing games instead of paying attention to what is important while being, as humans say, a sore loser."

Q scoffed and gestured at the ship on the screen as he started to say something. The Cube ship wavered and everyone gasped as it disappeared. Q looked at his hand. "Did I do that?" He looked down at his hand and wiggled it. On the view-screen a huge starship appeared with a smaller ship near it.

Jim could see where they'd rammed into each other. The big ship was missing part of the saucer section. As the ships drifted he got a look at the names and gasped. He started to ask when this huge _Enterprise_ was from when a tiny figure hurtled across the empty space between the ships. Jim blinked. That was...

"Q." Ambassador Spock was mad. Jim could tell by the way he held his shoulders. Moving closer to Bones, Jim watched as Spock jabbed a finger towards the ships on the view-screen. "That is _not_ acceptable."

Q shrugged as he looked down at his fingers. "It isn't my fault. I think I'm broken." He looked up and squinted at the small ship. "Hmm. Let's see..." He snapped his fingers and smiled at Spock. "Well, I'm sure that will fix it."

Jim watched as his Spock quirked his eyebrow. The older Spock narrowed his eyes at Q. Jim allowed Zar to crowd him towards Bones as they watched the ships.

"Nothing has changed, Q."

Q frowned and wiggled his fingers again. "Well, what would you know about it? I think that power surge threw a breaker."

Ambassador Spock sighed. "You need to put them back before the Reman ship explodes and exposes us to radiation that the shields will not be able to deflect."

Glancing at the ships, Q snapped his fingers again and shook his hand. "Ow." He turned to Spock. "Why don't you do something?"

Jim could see the older Spock roll his eyes and he looked at his Spock to see if he'd seen it too. His Spock was watching the ships recede. The helmsman, Jim knew he'd been told the man's name, but he couldn't remember it right now, was moving them away while trying to not attract attention as they moved.

"I do not share in your powers, Q. You are the only being that can save us."

Jim thought the older Spock sounded sarcastic on that last sentence. Zar snorted beside him, so Jim thought maybe he was right. Q didn't seem to hear it that way because he straightened up and nearly beamed as he smiled.

"True, true, I am Q after all." He stared at the ships and then turned his head towards the older Spock. "I suppose you are going to want me to save the android."

Ambassador Spock shrugged as if it didn't matter. Jim hadn't seen a Vulcan shrug before, he hadn't known they could. "Letting Lt. Commander Data explode would destroy the timeline, but you are Q so I am certain you know that."

Q blinked. "What? He isn't that important..." Q stopped and thought. He blinked a few times and started ticking points off on his fingers. "Well, shit." Q focused on the ships in front of them and they started to fade as the smaller ship exploded just as Q snapped his fingers. He turned towards Ambassador Spock. "Know-it-all."

Between them, in a flash of light, another man appeared. Jim looked at the red uniform that Q wore and compared it to the darker uniform that this new person wore. He appeared injured, but when Bones started looking him over and cussing Jim wasn't so sure. Bones didn't cuss that much at anyone else he'd been helping.

Q shook his finger at the older Spock and Jim darted forward to stand between them. He wasn't about to lose a Spock because this scary adult couldn't keep his gestures to himself.

"You're breaking the Temporal Prime Directive, Spock." Q looked down at Jim. "What's this? A baby Kirk?" Q cocked his head. "Oh, that's lovely. He's so _small_." Q looked up at the Ambassador. "Does he still have the same huge ego? How does it fit into that tiny little body?"

Jim had seen enough. This being wasn't going to help make him the right age to be the Captain of this ship. His ship. The whole crew had kept their distance, but he'd noticed how they all seemed to think of it as his ship. This Q being was too self-centered to care about Jim's people and he kept making the older Spock mad. Jim kicked him in the shin. It wasn't the best kick, he could have aimed for the groin, but it was a solid kick with most of his weight behind it.

"Owww!" Q hopped around, holding his shin. "You little _brat_." Q started to snap his fingers, but Ambassador Spock grabbed his hand. "Oh, no, no. Don't touch me."

Spock stepped back and blinked. He looked down at his hand and shook his head. Q pointed his finger at Spock and then swung around to point at the younger Spock. "You are completely devoid of fun at any age."

Ambassador Spock _smiled_ and Jim scrambled back because it was an evil smile. He knew what those looked like. When the older Spock turned towards him, Jim wanted nothing more than to disappear through the deck. "This will not hurt." Spock focused on him and snapped his fingers.

Jim went to his knees as his balance just disappeared.

****

Bones held back Zar as he started for Jim with a shout. He wasn't sure what had just happened to the Ambassador, but he knew enough to keep people out of the way of that pointing and snapping of fingers business. Jim twisted and shifted in front of their eyes. This time the clothing changed with him. And within moments an adult Jim was sitting on his butt next to the not-human whose injuries Bones didn't know what to do with because he thought the guy needed Scotty.

In front of them Ambassador Spock was still grinning at Q. It was disturbing. Bones glanced around the bridge and he wasn't the only one worrying about it.

"You constantly nag me about fun and jokes." Spock laughed. "You have no idea, Q. No idea about anything."

Bones pulled down the younger Spock with a wrench as he started to move past him. "Stay down, dammit. You don't have any idea what the hell is happening."

Zar grabbed Spock's arm as he started to rise. "Father, stay out of the way. You know what you are doing."

Bones wanted to roll his eyes, but he was too busy keeping Jim and Spock down. The non-human twitched and Bones spared him a glance before refocusing on the fight happening over his head.

"For a super-being you are very young, Q. That has been shown with the beings your child let loose upon the universe. Your powers are rather... limited."

Q huffed out a breath. "What? I am a Q. I can do anything." He snapped his fingers and then deflated a bit and he looked down at his hand. "Well, normally I can do anything. When some half-blood hasn't stolen my powers."

Bones and Zar kept the younger Spock down, but there was no one to hold back Ambassador Spock. "I have stolen nothing." He straightened up to his full height. "While I have borrowed your abilities it is only to prevent you from harming another being. Also, I feel the need to correct a grave error." As Spock poised to snap his fingers, he smiled widely at Q. "After all, the universe's survival requires the starships named _Enterprise_ to exist with the proper crews. Even you can not deny that, Q." Spock snapped his fingers.

****

Jim blinked at the sudden flash of light. He was an adult again. He could remember the period of time a child as though he'd been riding along in his own brain. He helped Zar hold down his Spock as he tried to think through what exactly was wrong with the older Spock. When the flash cleared it took Jim a moment to realize they were in the Vulcan solar system. The debris of the destroyed planet was strewn across the view-screen.

The being Q stared for several seconds and then turned to glare at the Ambassador. "You can not. It's completely illogical."

Jim winched at that as did Zar. It was never good to call Spock illogical if you weren't Bones. Spock tolerated it from Bones, but very few others. Jim didn't think that Q made that small list.

Spock cocked his head. "You will not have an universe to play in without the starship _Enterprise_, which you do not have without the combined efforts of several crew members of various starships, which will not exist if you do not have this crew in their proper places at the proper times." Spock smiled and Jim shivered at the sight. "Then, of course, there is the matter of your child. He will not be born if you do not meet the starship _Voyager_, which will be lost because the Vulcan that saves that ship will never be born."

Q blinked. Jim held his breath as Spock stared out at the remains of Vulcan. Then there was a wrench in everything and Jim gasped. Beside him Zar's eyes went wide and he reached around the younger Spock's neck and nerve pinched him. Jim cradled Spock as he went down.

"Why'd you do that?"

Zar helped him and Bones arrange Spock on the decking. "He'd try to stop himself. Father is nothing if not stubborn."

They watched as a whole planet reformed in front of them. Uhura started fielding frantic calls within moments of the planet coming back together. Jim bit his lip as Spock tilted his head to the side and made one last snap of his fingers. Beside him appeared Spock's mother, Amanda. Jim stretched up and grabbed her down and out of the way of the argument the Ambassador and Q were still having.

"Hello, ma'am. Sorry about all this."

She settled beside Bones and looked down at her son on the decking beside the injured man that Jim thought was a robot, but hadn't had time to check thoroughly. "What is happening? I thought Vulcan was dying."

Zar was staring at her and Jim wasn't going to get in his way. It had looked like his nerve pinch was even more viscous than Spock's. Bones ran a tricorder over Amanda with quick glances at the fighting as he did. Jim hushed Amanda as she started to ask again. He'd try to explain it to her when there was a chance.

"You can't do that!" Q stomped his foot. "You're going to get me in trouble."

Spock crossed his arms. "You would be grounded."

"Yes." Q waved his arms. "I'd be confined to a point of space and I wouldn't be allowed to have any fun at all."

Spock laughed and nodded. "Exactly."

Jim was trying to work out what that meant when there was a ringing noise that sounded through the bridge. It wasn't anything he recognized. His Spock started to come around. Jim could see Sulu and Chekov trying to decide what to do. Jim shook his head at them. He didn't think there was anything anyone could do.

The Ambassador looked down at the robot man and snapped his fingers. The robot's injuries disappeared, as did the few tears in his uniform. He sat up and looked around. Then he blinked.

Above them the ringing continued and Spock grabbed Q's flailing arm and pressed their hands together. "You should answer that."

Q squeaked and jerked away. He pulled a phone from his pocket and Ambassador Spock dropped straight down onto his butt beside Jim's group. Jim watched Q carefully. If his powers could reconstruct an entire planet then it was not a good idea to upset him. As Q answered the phone, Jim caught the older Spock's eye. He was nearly panting, but he smiled that soft smile he'd used on Jim while he was a child. Jim felt that warmth spread across him again and beside him Zar made a surprised sounding noise.

"Hello? No, no, I didn't. I know it shows that, but I swear...No, well...no. I never...Okay maybe I did do that, but this...Sorry." Q glared at them and Jim hoped there wasn't going to be any finger snapping. "What! You can't _do_ that. I'll never...Well, no, I'm not saying you aren't that powerful. Of course not." Q rolled his eyes. "I apologize...No, I did not take it upon myself to fix the entire main timeline." Q flapped an arm as he yelled into the little phone. "I can't possibly be held responsible for...What do you mean 'my powers, my fault'? That's completely unfair."

Spock relaxed beside him and Jim slide over a little closer. "You okay?"

"Just tired, Jim. I will be well."

Q slammed his phone closed and rounded on Spock. "You got me grounded!"

Spock smiled up at him. A neat, fuck you, smile that Jim thought he must have learned from him. "Yes, I did. Until 2364, correct?"

"Yes!" Q narrowed his eyes. "You...you...Vulcan! I can't believe...Wait. Yes, I can. You're the same man that died and managed to get reborn on the sole say of _him_ just so you could mind-meld with a whale after all." Q stabbed his finger at Jim. There was complete silence across the bridge. There was a flash of light and Q was gone.

Ambassador Spock sighed. The robot man turned to look at him. "You are well, Ambassador Spock?"

Amanda sucked in a breath and Jim wondered what she was going to say when she heard the whole story. His Spock watched silently as he kept a hand on his mother.

"I am only tired, Commander Data. You are functional?"

Data looked down at himself. "I have not exploded. I do not understand. I had sacrificed myself to save the _Enterprise_."

"You have not exploded. Q saved you."

Jim herded the group towards the lift. He wanted them off the bridge, Bones was going to want to check them all over, and he needed a moment with the older Spock about what to do with the whole situation. He needed to figure out how the report was going to have to be worded.

****

Bones watched, hovered really, as the young not-exactly-a-Vulcan Zar spoke quietly with Amanda. She'd had a short headache when her connection to Sarek reestablished and he'd thought he was going crazy, according to her. Bones wondered what warp speed records were currently being broken to get from New Vulcan to here. Everyone seemed in good shape. Jim was quieter than Bones had expected, but at least he was an adult again.

As far as he could tell Amanda was in prefect health, the android was alright, and the really young Vulcan needed a couple of supplements, but was generally in good health. He couldn't get Jim to hold still long enough to be sure of him, but since he hadn't collapsed yet he wasn't going to push too hard. Yet. Bones helped the old Spock to sit down across from Amanda.

"You need to eat. Whatever you did to your body during that cockamamie stunt depleted..."

"Doctor, you should scan Commander Spock for injury."

Bones narrowed his eyes at the Ambassador. "Why? Zar only nerve pinched him. He's fine."

Ambassador Spock's eyebrows rose. "He should have felt the return of his link to T'Pring. He has not and it has not touched my mind in mistake."

Swinging around, Bones looked at Spock, who was frowning with his eyebrows. Moving closer, Bones started a scan even as he turned his head towards Jim. "What exactly are we going to say about this one?"

Jim shrugged and stood. He moved towards the small replicator in the corner. "I'm sure we can blame it on that Q person without too much fuss."

The Ambassador snorted as he accepted his drink from Jim. "Q is never without blame."

Amanda laid her hand on the older Spock's arm. "Why are you here and not in your own time?"

Bones looked up from his tricorder readings to watch. Zar clasped his hands in front of him as Ambassador Spock leaned back slightly as he steepled his fingers. Bones blinked at the sight of all three of the male Vulcans in nearly identical postures.

"I made an error in my calculations and was unable to stop Nero from doing harm."

Data cocked his head. "As Commander LaForge has explained to me, being unable to stop another being from causing harm is not something to find fault in one's self."

Amanda straightened in her seat. "He's right, dear. I'm certain you..." She gestured to the younger Spock. "Both of you did everything possible." Then she smiled at the Ambassador. "You won in the end."

****

Jim dropped to sit on his bed and rested his head in his hands. He had the worst headache. The older Spock was drifting around his room looking at things. "Thanks. You know, for helping fix me."

"I require no thanks. You are well worth any trouble, James."

Smiling, Jim flopped back onto his bed. "I remember it all like it was a vivid dream. I was awful to Bones."

Spock sat down and straightened a chess piece. "He understands. You managed admirably."

With a snort, Jim waved a hand at his room. "Not really. I think Spock found how much I have horded. I know Bones will be all over me about eating and making sure I feel secure. It'll be awful." Jim frowned. "That word you called me. You meant that?"

"Yes."

Jim looked up sharply and stared at him for several moments. "Thank you." Jim pulled a food pouch from the gap between the bed and wall. "I need to go clear Spock's room while he's busy with your Mom."

Jim could feel Spock's eyes on him as he went through the door into Spock's bathroom. He stopped just inside of Spock's room and took a deep breath. His attraction to his Spock and Bones was stronger than before he'd been shrunk. Pulling hidden pouches from under Spock's desk, Jim froze as Spock's door opened, allowing his Spock to enter.

"Captain." Spock looked like he was still in shock or something. He was paler than Jim had ever seen and was moving in that overly stiff way that read as pissed or upset.

"You okay, Spock?" Jim sat the pouches down on the desk and went to pull out the ones at the edge of Spock's bed. "Sorry about all this."

"I am well, Jim." Spock took the rations from his hands as Jim turned from the bed. "You do not need to apologize."

Jim gave him a brittle smile and grabbed up the pouches before pulling the ones from Spock's hands. "I should let you rest. Nerve pinches always give me headaches, so you'll probably want to rest." He bit his lip to quit babbling and fled before Spock could do more than step towards him.

****

Jim sat on the floor and leaned against a bulkhead on the Observation Deck as he stared out at Vulcan spinning lazily below. His life was a huge mess and the Admiralty was sending Pike and Archer to talk to him about Q and the whole thing with Vulcan. He'd checked the logs and Spock had managed to totally avoid telling Command about him being turned into a kid. There was a small sound and Jim turned his head to find Zar standing there watching Vulcan.

"Hello."

Zar looked at him. "Captain." He came closer and sat on the floor next to Jim. "You should know that I'm an empath. I couldn't help feeling the bonds between your child self and the younger version of Father. McCoy and Father's bond is tenuous, but growing, I think."

Jim blinked. "You can feel all that?"

Zar shrugged. "I'm different in that manner than Vulcans." He gestured towards the planet. "I didn't get the chance to come here when I visited Father in the other timeline."

"You met the other me."

"I did." Zar leaned back into the bulkhead beside Jim. "Everyone was older. I annoyed Father a lot." Zar picked at the cloth of his pants. "Your counterpart gave me good advice. Uhura's hair was much shorter. Chekov's hair was straighter."

"That's why you asked if the ship was the _Enterprise_. Nothing looked right."

Zar nodded. "I looked up the historical events that shaped the differences in the timelines. Here you met Father much earlier. I believe it is only to the benefit of you both."

"Really? How am I a benefit to Spock?" Jim rubbed the side of his face. "I mostly just make him mad."

With a laugh, Zar shook his head. "No. No, you annoy him sometimes, but trust me. He doesn't feel anger towards you."

Jim relaxed. "You must make Vulcans nervous."

Zar snorted. "I'll find out. Grandmother said that the rest of the family is coming to met me before they go to Vulcan." Zar lolled his head to look at Jim. "Would you mind being there? In the other timeline after Father, you, and Doctor McCoy were my family."

"I'd be honored, Zar."

****

Bones let himself into Jim's room and stood quietly watching the Ambassador sleep. Jim's bedding on the couch was empty. Moving quietly, Bones slipped into Spock's quarters through the bathroom. Jim was curled on the floor next to Spock's bed. McCoy found the extra blanket Spock had and draped it over Jim. Then he settled into the most comfortable chair, which he'd have to bug Spock about because it was awful and went to sleep.

He woke up fast and grumpy. Jim was setting at Spock's desk doing something with a PADD. Spock was staring at them both from his bed. "What?"

Jim looked up from his PADD. "Hmm. I wanted to thank you both for...being yourselves. I felt safe."

Bones huffed and pushed himself more upright. "You were a good kid, Jim. Weird about Vulcans though."

Jim smiled. "Gotta be weird about something, Bones." He looked at Spock. "I'm sorry you had to find out."

Spock rose from his bed and stood with his hands clasped behind his back. "I am not. It is an honor to have your trust."

As Jim's eyebrows rose, Spock disappeared into his bathroom. Bones snorted as the door slid closed and turned to Jim. "He's still embarrassed about the PADD thing."

"Yeah, I can understand." Jim rubbed the back of his neck. "Zar has this idea that all three of us are attracted to each other."

Bones blinked. "Smart kid."

"He's your age, Bones." Jim cocked his head. "I think."

Spock emerged from the bathroom and sat on the edge of his bed. "He has said it is difficult for him to know for certain as he did not track in units that can be easily converted into a precise measurement."

"You mean he counted by season." Jim picked up the PADD from the desk and handed it to Spock.

Spock's eyebrow rose a fraction as he accepted the PADD. "That is correct." He read for several moments. "You have finished."

"Yeah. I liked the math. That was a good idea, Spock."

Bones had to bit his lip so he wouldn't tease Spock as the Vulcan's visible ear tip flushed. "Jim, have you told Spock about Zar's theory?"

Jim rubbed the back of his neck. "No, I hadn't." Jim turned back towards Spock and then he slapped himself in the forehead. "I forgot! I'll be back in a minute."

Shaking his head, Bones turned to Spock who was standing there staring at Jim's retreat.

****

Jim slid to a stop at the sight of Ambassador Spock standing on the far side of the room from the bed staring at it, which had tripled in size. "You okay, Spock?"

"Yes. Although the bed seems to have malfunctioned."

"No, it didn't malfunction." Jim patted the wall next to the door into the bathroom. "She loves me. And she's got definite thoughts about how my life should go."

"The ship is sentient?"

Jim shrugged. "Maybe. She never talks, just does things to point out stuff to me. Like letting me know she approves of something that I've been avoiding because it scares me."

Spock titled his head. "Ah. She is a very smart ship." Then he smiled a little. "I will take my leave to make arrangements to store Commander Data until he needs to be delivered in the future."

Nodding, Jim walked Spock to the door. Once the door had swooped closed behind the Ambassador, Jim turned to the room and looked up at the ceiling. "You are completely tactless sometimes." He looked that the enlarged bed then back up at the ceiling. "Thanks." The lights brightened for a few moments and Jim touched the wall as he went back to .

****

Amanda stepped forward as Sarek materialized on the pad and extended her fingers for a kiss with a smile on her face. She was completely unprepared for Sarek to grab her up into a tight hug in front of all these people. In front of T'Pau. Hugging back, she could feel Sarek finally relax along their link. Turning her face into his neck, Amanda pushed love and reassurance towards her husband. "My love."

"Amanda." Sarek finally allowed her to step back, but he refused to let go of her hand. Amanda glanced over her shoulder at everyone else. Her sons were side-by-side with her grandson, Zar, which the thought of still made her head hurt a little. Beside them was Jim and behind the young Captain stood Bones. Turning back, Amanda greeted T'Pau and then stepped aside. She watched as T'Pau looked over Zar and then raised an eyebrow.

Amused that Captain Kirk slid in between them to offer T'Pau a tour of the ship, Amanda turned share with her husband to find Sarek staring at her older son. "Sarek, this is Ambassador Spock."

T'Pau turned her head and blinked as Spock saluted his father.

"Father. You appear well."

When Sarek blinked, Amanda was reminded of what Zar had said about his father's relationship or lack thereof with his own father. Moving quickly, Amanda stepped forward and linked her free hand into her elder son's elbow. "Come, Captain Kirk is sure to know things about the ship that we do not." She smiled at her younger son and pulled her hand free from Sarek long enough to touch her boy's shoulder. "And anything Jim doesn't know, you will."

Please that Spock's posture relaxed, Amanda allowed Sarek to recapture her hand. She wanted to know what had happened to T'Pring, but it would wait.

****

Jim flopped down on his huge bed and listened to Spock and Bones bicker about dinner. He was tired. Herding touchy Vulcans around as they tried to work out who outranked who on the I-am-old-honor-my-age thing. Watching Sarek and the older Spock trying to talk, now that Sarek knew for sure who the Ambassador was had been nearly painful.

"What the hell happened to your bed?"

Rolling over, Jim grinned up at Bones. "She thinks we should all be sleeping together." Spock stepped closer and looked like he was trying to figure out how the bed had changed. Jim bounced a little.

Bones snorted. "Better than a chair. Spock's furniture needs burned."

As they started arguing, Jim grinned and pushed himself to his feet. They sat down on either end of the bed as they continued arguing. Jim pulled a chair around to sit in and watch them. "You missed the arguing, didn't you?" They both turned to stare at him. Jim smiled. "Yep, you missed it."

Bones clasped his hands together and leaned over his knees. "Jim." Bones glanced at Spock and then back to him. "This is completely crazy."

Jim spread his hands. "Why? We," Jim gestured to include all three of them. "We make a prefect team. And...I'm comfortable with you both."

"Zar has informed me that we are destined. He did not specify as to the manner of the destiny."

Standing up, Jim started towards his friends. "Let's try sleeping and see how it goes."

****

"Well?" Amanda raised her eyebrows as Sarek looked at her and then pulled her closer. She could tell from the little line just over his nose he'd been suffering. She went willingly and snuggled into her husband's side. He leaned his head into hers, something he'd done so rarely she'd could clearly remember each instance. When he spoke, Amanda grinned because he wasn't even trying to convince her he had no idea what she meant.

"T'Pring died as the shuttle she was on lost internal dampeners. She was lost several minutes before the planet according to the shuttle's log."

"How many have been lost?"

Sarek tightened his hold on her and Amanda rubbed a little circle in his skin to help him remember she was here now. "Several thousand including those lost immediately after Vulcan."

"How many while Vulcan was gone?"

Sarek made that little sound in this throat that Amanda called a sigh in her head. "Far too many."

She nodded. "I can't believe we've a grandson older than our boy."

"He is very..."

"Human?" She could feel it as Sarek stiffened. "Well, more emotional than Vulcans at least."

"The older Spock informed me that Zar is an empath. It is possible that is the cause."

She patted her husband's arm. "Perhaps, dearheart, but take my advice and do not repeat that in his hearing. Our older boy barely speaks to you as it is." She settled down to go to sleep. "I hope the other me smacked the other you for being stupid towards him. He's such a nice boy."

Sarek's touch was soothing and Amanda could feel her body relaxing. "He is an adult who is older than I am, my wife."

She grinned and yawned. "Of course he is, dear."

****

It took several days to straighten everything out. Jim stayed quiet when the android, Data, disappeared. He'd asked the older Spock and got the non-answer of vineyards are very good storage sites really. Jim was ready to kick the Admirals off his ship. They were driving him crazy with the backseat commanding. Turning to Uhura as she spun towards him all excited, Jim could see Pike shake his head at Archer out of the corner of his eye. Listening to Uhura report a small vessel just appearing out of nothing, with no warp signature and it screaming a weird-ass code she thought was familiar, he knew this was just going to suck.

Moving towards the tiny ship, Jim acknowledged the older Spock's arrival on the bridge with a nod. They got closer and Jim cocked his head. The little ship looked...

"Captain, the ship is hailing us. It appears to have been damaged."

Jim could see the damaged side as the ship rolled to a more broadside position as they slid to a stop. "Open a channel." Jim straightened and was ready to announce himself when the screen lit up with Bones. Jim gaped. Bones was _ancient_.

"Jim. Damn, you're too young to be Captain already." Bones shook his head. "And you!" The old Bones pointed a gnarled finger at the Ambassador. "Do you have any idea how long it took me to convince them to let someone come look for you? That stupid star system is still dropping in on itself. Then the damn thing exploded and started it all over again. Hell, they ordered the _Enterprise_ to back off." The old Bones hit something on his console.

Jim jumped as Bones was suddenly in front of him and dumping a beagle in his lap.

"And if you ever disappear again, I'm totally sending Scotty after your ass." Bones waggled his finger at Spock, who was grinning with his eyebrows and a quirked lip, while the beagle squirmed off Jim's lap and bounded over to Archer. Bones grabbed Spock's arm and then he was hugging him.

Jim glanced at his Spock and then at the Admirals. As Bones pushed away from the Ambassador, his Bones stepped off the turbolift.

"Fuck." Bones stared at himself.

The older one grinned. "Pretty much. Spock's about the only thing that could get me to reinstate myself."

The Ambassador cocked his head. "You have been on bed-rest of several years. How did you persuade Starfleet to reactivate you?"

Bones shrugged. "I lied." Then he grinned. "Hell, Scotty was already calculating what would have to be built to get through that mess the supernova left behind to get to you by the time I knew what the hell had happened. I figured they'd tried to execute you again."

There was a gasp and Jim turned his head to find Spock's parents in front of the lift. The old Bones, nodded at them and then turned back to Spock. "You did tell me to start working on curing that thing, right?"

Spock sighed. "Admiral McCoy, you of all people know the dangers of altering the timeline."

Bones snorted. "Oh, that's rich, coming from the guy that went back in time to badger Q with logic and convince him to save Earth from an asteroid. Seriously, Spock. I just came through a twisted mess of spacetime and ended up with a dog and a massive headache. I want to smack LaForge for allowing Scotty to program the damn emergency transporter systems. And then there's a little problem."

Jim quit just watching and silently laughing. Watching Bones closely, Jim leaned forward. "What problem?"

Bones turned his head and Jim could hear the creaking in his neck. "Well, evidently there's a type of subroutine on the transporter thing that Scotty did..." Bones looked back at Spock. "What got him in Starfleet this time around if it wasn't the same as for Jim?" Bones jerked his thumb towards him and Jim blinked. He glanced at the beagle and then looked back to see the Ambassador Spock's eyebrows climbing.

"Your ship retrieved Captain George Kirk?"

Bones nodded. "Well, mostly. He's injured and I'm not up to surgery," Bones held up his shaking hands. "So, he's in the buffer thingy, but I figured you could get him out."

Jim felt like he couldn't breathe. Bones stepped up to Admiral Bones and started yelling. Spock was suddenly beside him. "Captain, let me take command." Jim nodded and someone, Lady Amanda he realized, led him to the turbolift. He went where pushed and tried to talk to Chapel, but she just smiled at him and told him to sit still for a bit.

Lady Amanda smiled at him. "I'm sure they'll get him out and he'll be fine."

"He's dead." Jim swallowed. "He...What the hell is Mom going to do if he's alive?"

Amanda smiled. "She'll hug him in front of anyone who happens to be there and never let go."

"She remarried." Jim fumbled his communicator from his belt. "I should call her."

Amanda was suddenly right _there_ and she gently pried the unit from his hand. "I'll dial for you." Zar appeared from around the corner.

"Father asked me to check on him. He said Jim's Dad may not be dead."

Amanda nodded and waved her hand at Jim. 'He's shocky. There was a beagle on the bridge too."

Zar smiled. "Scotty's transporter project. Father told me that Scotty spent decades trying to figure out where that dog had ended up." Zar settled next to Jim and then Bones was rushing by with Chapel trailing him. Jim blinked at the wrinkled Bones Amanda was helping sit in the chair next to his bed. Zar smiled down at this version of Bones. "How did you find Father?"

"It took a couple of months. Some Vulcan in Starfleet named Tuvok insisted that Spock must have tried using the slingshot maneuver to get out of there." Bones looked at Jim. "I convinced Starfleet I was expendable enough to send. I came out in a battle and the ship automatically tried to retreat. I popped out somewhere not right and the ship's alarms were screaming and I was trying to figure out what the hell to worry about first and then I was here." Bones rubbed his paper-thin hands together. "Didn't know I had your Dad until I started checking the logs to figure out where to look for Spock first since I wasn't in a battle anymore."

Jim blinked and felt himself calming. He turned and grinned at Commander Spock as he approached who stopped and looked at Admiral Bones.

"Your ship supports your claim of coming from the future."

"Gee, thanks, Spock. Wonderful to know you believe the ship over the guy that hauled your soul around for a while."

Ambassador Spock appeared at his younger self's shoulder. "I believe we agreed that you would refrain from attempting to shock my counterpart."

Bones shrugged. "You agreed. I just drank my coffee. Hey, you all have food around here? I'm starving. Scotty's replicator program kicks out way too many versions of a sandwich."

Jim laid back. His life was nuts. Maybe if he took a nap it'd be normal, or at least less crazy, when he woke up. Jim closed his eyes and listened to the bickering of the older versions of his friends and wondered what had happened to him that he hadn't come for Spock himself. Maybe he didn't want to know. He certainly wasn't going to ask because he figured the old Bones would actually answer. He drifted away to the sound of talking over his head.

Jim shot upright and stared at his Mother. "Mom." He blinked and rubbed his face. When she didn't disappear he stared harder. "What are you doing here?"

She tilted her head. "Well, Jim. I got this call just as the news started blaring that you'd managed to bring the whole planet of Vulcan back from the dead. And this really nice lady, who you once said was dead, informed me that I might want to take an emergency leave and haul my ass halfway across the galaxy because a friend of your friend who are both not supposed to exist or some such managed to sort of, maybe, might have, saved George, but he might die." She raised her eyebrows. "I called your brother while I was on the ship that got me here."

Jim pulled his knees up towards his chest and wrapped an arm around them. "I was a child for a couple of weeks until the thing with Vulcan. I don't think anyone called you about that."

She snorted and shook her head. "Jeez, Jim, you can't have a single quiet moment, can you?"

He grinned, shrugged, and then lolled his head onto one shoulder. "Bones say how Dad's doing?"

She glanced towards the back of Sickbay. "The old wrinkled one yelled at the younger one and then told me he'll be awake in another couple of hours." She bit her lip. "I got to see a glimpse of him. He's really there, Jim. Breathing. I could see it."

Jim nodded and unwrapped himself enough to hold his arms open for his Mom to slid into. As she hugged him too tight, Jim decided he really didn't need a less crazy life.

****

Jim slipped into the room as his father pushed away his tray of food. They stared at each other until finally he approached. "Uh, did anyone tell you that you saved most of the crew when you rammed the _Narada_?"

Dad licked his lower lip as he stared. "No. That thing had a name?" George reached out and touched the side of Jim's face. "God. We named you in the middle of a firefight. I'm so sorry."

With a smile Jim leaned into his Dad's touch. "You saved a lot of people that would have died, Dad. Nero, the guy that ran that ship, was crazy. Completely nuts. He destroyed Vulcan and tried to take out Earth just because he was pissed that his planet had been destroyed by a nova and the Vulcan that had tried to save it had failed."

"I did hear you fixed Vulcan."

Jim chuckled faintly. "If you'd come last week you could have seen me as a kid." Moving closer, Jim grabbed up his Dad in a bear hug and clung tight.

"I'm sorry, Jim."

Jim dug his chin into his Dad's shoulder. "I'm not. You would have hated me. I was horrible." Stepping back, Jim grinned lopsidedly. "Want to see my ship?"

George smiled and levered himself up. "Your ship, eh? What's her name? Tiberius?"

Jim slipped under George's arm to help support him. "Yep, she's mine. She's a beauty." He wrinkled his nose at his Dad's suggestion. "Her name is the _Enterprise_. Mom gave me Tiberius as a middle name."

"Well, at least it wasn't your first name. Be happy."

****

Jim grinned at the beagle as he walked Admiral Archer to the transport. Pike was going to stay longer after being asked to visit by Ambassador Spock. Jim refused to ask, but he was sure it had something to do with the other timeline. Archer turned to him just before the pad and tucked his beagle tighter against his side.

"Captain. You've grown into a fine officer, just try not to resurrect another planet without warning Command first. Congratulations on the saving of your father. He's a good man."

His smile stiff, Jim nodded. "I will try, Admiral. Thank you."

The Admiral stepped up onto the transporter pad. "Oh, would you thank Ambassador Selek for the wonderful wine? I had never tried anything from Picard Vineyards, but it was wonderful."

Forcing his mouth to shut before Archer noticed him gaping, Jim nodded. As soon as the Admiral and his dog were safely gone, Jim raced out of the transporter room to find Bones. Bursting into Bones' office Jim made grabby hands at Bones until he handed over a glass of liquor.

"What the fuck is wrong?"

After downing his glass, Jim took a deep breath. "Spock is having Data delivered as wine in the future."

Bones cocked his head. "I thought you knew that. The whole ship knows that. Hell, Spock's mom knows that. Scotty only let him go because the old Spock promised he'd get to see something impossible if he did. Where the hell were you?"

He put down the empty glass and shook his head. "Oh, I don't know. Maybe keeping visitors from killing each other or blowing up the ship. Trying to learn how to talk to my parents, which I've never really had to do before. I mean, you know..." Jim flapped a hand helpless for the words to describe the difficultly he and his Mom had talking. Which didn't even being to cover his suddenly not dead Father.

"And here I thought you were keeping them from learning you're sleeping with your command staff."

Jim grimaced. "I'm only sleeping with you and Spock. Besides, we haven't really done anything but sleep."

"Yeah, about that. Old Spock said something about making a person come with their mind. It sounded kinky."

Jim laughed. "I'm telling Spock you said that."

Bones blinked and then grinned. "How do you know which one you're talking about?"

Jim grinned. "I'm just that good."

****

Jim settled down between Bones and Spock, pulling the covers from over Bones and piling them on Spock. "When are you going to bug me about food? I know you've both been waiting."

Bones tucked his head against Jim's shoulder blade. "Shut the fuck up and sleep." He was snoring within moments.

Spock skimmed his fingers across Bones' arm and Jim's side. "If it allows you to feel secure and it does not interfere with the running of the ship there is no need to, as you say, 'bug' you."

Jim grinned into his pillow and relaxed as Spock's arm settled on his back. They were just waiting for the right moment, he was certain.

Bones rolled over and flung his arm and leg across Spock. The ship was humming and Jim lay there, warm and full, listening to her mutter at him.

He woke up to something beeping. Jim rubbed at his head until he realized it was the door. Untangling himself from his bed-mates, Jim stumbled to his door. It slid open to a far too bright hallway and his Dad. Who looked pissed. Jim stepped back and almost hit his Dad as he surged forward and grabbed him up into a hug.

"Oh, God, Jimmy."

Jim wrapped his arms loosely around the man and tried to think what the hell could have caused this.

"If I could I'd kill him."

Patting his shoulder, Jim tried to pull away, but couldn't get anywhere. "It's okay." He wasn't even sure who Dad was talking about. "It'll be fine, Dad."

"You've done so well, my boy. I love you so much."

Jim couldn't breathe. He froze until suddenly Bones was grumpily smacking his arm. "Say it back, Jim."

With a deep breathe, Jim tightened his hold on his Dad, who was alive. Real, solid, and definitely not a holovid. "I love you too, Dad."

Bones harrumphed his approval and trudged off towards the bathroom. Jim finally managed to get his Dad to sit. He glanced at his bed and saw Spock watching them silently. Smiling at him, Jim turned back and sat down.

"Dad, I...um, I'm not sure who you're talking about."

with a head tilt, George narrowed his eyes. "How fucked up was your childhood?"

"Huh..." Jim almost shrugged when suddenly Spock was moving between them and handing his Dad a PADD.

"This is a compiled history of Jim's childhood. I believe it is incomplete."

"Spock!" Jim tried to glare, but was sidetracked by Bones suddenly dropping to sit next to him and holding out another PADD to his Dad. "Bones!"

"What? It isn't like you'll talk to him about any of it."

"I might."

"You are, as Leonard says, most stubborn. It is statistically unlikely that you would speak to your father regarding your experiences as a child." Spock quirked an eyebrow as he spoke.

Jim sighed and leaned back into his chair. "Okay, I probably wouldn't have." Looking at his Dad, Jim licked his lip. "Uhm. Just, you know, don't get too mad about the car."

With a glance at him, George paged down a ways. "Oh." His eyes widened. "You nearly died. Your mother wasn't kidding."

"What'd she say?"

George looked up. "That you'd been on Tarsus IV, which I then looked up. She was trying to explain why I was going to find a police record on you. She didn't do you justice. You managed to break all _sorts_ of records."

Jim snorted. "That's what you point out? Really?"

With a shrug, George put down the PADD he was reading. "I can't change it now. Well, I suppose I could, but you survived and you saved the Federation and will again if the arguments between the future versions of Spock and McCoy are any indication. You don't need to change. Just...know I would have tried to help you, if I'd been there."

Jim nodded, because...what the hell did someone say to that?

****

Amanda slipped into a seat across from George Kirk. "You are looking well."

He glanced up at her from where he was picking apart his lunch. "Lady Amanda. I'm feeling better." He poked at the purple beans with his fork. "How are you handling coming back from the dead?"

"Horribly, I'm sure." She reached across and laid her hand on top of George's to still him. "You feel like you don't fit. Like everything is just slightly off and nothing looks like it should."

He nodded and sat down his fork to pat her hand. "Exactly. Jim is..." With a shake of his head, George leaned back. "You ever worry your child is a changeling or infected by a mind controlling virus?"

Amanda hid her laugh behind her hand. "No. I was usually worrying wither Spock was going to be killed for showing up his classmates."

"Okay, I could see that. The communications officer showed me a vid of Jim goading Spock into attacking him solely so he could get control of this ship and try to save Earth." George shook his head. "I just...I know I'd have done the same if needed, but to see someone else...to see _Jim_ doing something so coldly calculated...I never wanted that sort of thing for my child."

She knew what he meant. "You want them to stay safe, forever." He bit his lip and Amanda smiled at the way he moved so much like Jim. She leaned forward. "Spock told me he knew within one sentence what Jim was trying to do. He wasn't certain what Jim knew that made it necessary, but he understood even as it affected him."

"Jim is lucky he didn't get shoved out an airlock."

She giggled. "True." Tilting her head, Amanda touched George's tray. "Come on, you can sit and watch my grandson Zar, who is from 5000 years in the past, make my husband's first wife want to tear her hair out. On a Vulcan that sort of frustration is hilarious." Amused at the expression on his face as he tried to work out the timeline on that, Amanda guided him out of the mess hall.

****

Jim leaned his head back to touch the bulkhead he was sitting against. Concentrating on breathing, Jim calculated how long it would take Bones to track him down and suggest hard liquor. It just...His _father_. Making himself breathe deep, Jim picked at the knee of his uniform. Alive and caring what the hell happened to him. Which was just a little, okay, a lot unnerving. Plus, they hovered around him with him in the middle. Mom was uncertain and Jim hadn't seen her anything other than sad and determined in the whole of his memory. Uncertain just didn't fit. And his Dad wasn't uncertain at all. He'd seen pissed, upset, and hurting so far. If Dad hurt himself running around the ship, Jim knew exactly who Bones, both Bones, and that was a awful thought, would blame for the whole thing.

There were footsteps approaching and Jim was too stiff to get up fast enough to avoid them. Sulu rounded the corner and nearly tripped over him.

"Oh. Captain." Sulu gazed down at him. "Sir? You okay?" Jim shook his head and laughed. Sulu slid down the wall opposite him and nudged Jim's boot with his own. "Okay. You want to talk about it?"

Jim knocked his head back against the wall. "How do I talk to someone that's suddenly alive that I've always talked to even though he was dead?"

Sulu blinked and Jim reran that through his mind trying to see if it had actually made sense. Sulu frowned. "Same way you've always talked to him. Just talk." Sulu gestured at the ship. "You're life is solid. Him suddenly being alive is just a bonus."

"I can't talk to him like I used to do."

Sulu nodded. "You don't want to yell or complain. Okay, so talk about the ship. Tell him about your life. He'll want to hear anything you'll talk about."

"Shouldn't I be more, I don't know...shocked or something?"

Sulu gave him that look that said he was totally getting his ass kicked at the next time they sparred. "I've always found that you move through shock at an extreme rate." Sulu pushed himself up. "I'll walk you to Sickbay, Captain."

****

When Sulu guided Jim into Sickbay, Bones wasn't all that surprised. Leaving his older self with a PADD that he was marking up and laughing at, Bones helped Sulu settle Jim onto a bed. "What happened?" Jim wasn't bleeding, which was a refreshing change of pace.

"He was sitting in a corridor, but he's not acting normal." Sulu pulled him away from Jim by his sleeve. He lowered his voice, which didn't matter because Bones didn't think Jim was listening anyway. "He was worrying about how to talk to his father."

Bones glanced at Jim, who was staring down at his hands, and then back at Sulu. "Okay. I'll deal with him. Thank you, Sulu."

Sulu nodded and made his retreat. Watching Jim for another minute, Bones tried not to jump as the old him glided to a stop beside him. That hover belt thing was far too silent.

"He overthinking again?"

Turning his head, Bones looked at the other him watching Jim. "Your Jim was on Tarsus IV?"

Gliding further away from Jim, the other him glared at him as he followed. "What does that clusterfuck have to do with him all..." With a wave of his hand, the Admiral indicated the bed where Jim had just been sitting.

Bones sighed. He hadn't even heard the door. He hated when Jim escaped like that. Soothing his older self, Bones made a mental note to sic Spock on Jim as soon as he could.

****

Jim slid into the turbolift that was occupied by Admiral Pike. "Admiral."

He smiled up at Jim. "Captain. I hear your Father is doing well."

"Yeah, Bones did a great job."

Pike quirked an eyebrow at him and Jim had the feeling again. The one where he felt like a child being praised by a loving adult. It was still a weird feeling. "Spock, the older one, let slip you'd been turned into a child for a while. You okay?"

Jim shrugged. "I'm good."

Pike narrowed his eyes. "You lie worse than Spock does. Come on, kid. I've a cabin you can hide in for a little while. I think you're on medical leave until next alpha shift."

Following along, Jim dropped to sit on Pike's bed. "You ever feel like your life is all a dream?"

Pike sighed. "Sometimes." He reached out and patted Jim's knee. "You're okay. That feeling will go away eventually."

Jim snorted. "I suppose. How does all this look to you? Back form the dead and everything."

"Complicated."

Jim shot upright and started to pace. "Yeah. Spock's dad has a new bond-mate and now with Amanda back what happens? The new wife just gets pushed aside? And Mom's been remarried too. I'm not even sure Dad would know because Mom kept Kirk as her last name."

"He knows." Pike rubbed the side of his face. "Look, Jim, nothing is prefect. You know this."

Nodding, because he did know, Jim collapsed into a chair and sighed. "I just..." He leaned forward. "Mom wasn't a bad parent, just depressed all the time." He looked at Pike. "I never had to talk to her and I thought it was normal for a really long time." Jim rubbed his hands over his thighs. "I'd talk to my Dad instead of trying to talk to Mom."

"You imaged him there?"

"No. I just talked to the stars because I knew he was up there somewhere. I didn't understand was dead was until I was five or so."

Pike smiled. "You don't know how to talk to him now, is that what's bothering you?"

"Mom showed more happiness when she'd said she'd seen him than she ever did when I was growing up." Jim stood. "Thanks for listening." Jim left before Pike could do more than lift his hand.

****

Spock put down his fork as George Kirk approached Winona Kirk's table. They stared at each other for 4.2 seconds before George sat down. Spock tried to ignore their conversation, but found that their voices cut through the surrounding noise.

"Winona, I, ah, found out more information about Jim's childhood."

She sighed. "I...failed him."

Spock adjusted his focus to listen because they were speaking about his mate.

George frowned at Winona. "I didn't say anything about you."

"Not yet you haven't. I wouldn't blame you if you did. I had a really hard time connecting with him. I made stupid mistakes." She framed her own face with her hands. "I got married."

George nodded. "You needed help."

She snorted. "Yeah, okay, I guess that was part of it. He tried, but Jim was difficult and I was no real help." She shrugged. "We couldn't seem to talk to each other." She poked at her food with her spoon. "Jim nearly died and we decided that he needed something different."

"And that didn't go like you planned." George ran his finger up and down his glass.

"Not at all. He came back so mad at everything. So thin." She turned her spoon over and over. "I tried staying home, but he'd started to look more and more like you. I'd get too sad and I knew Jim didn't need that."

"So you went back into space."

She sniffled and nodded.

George tapped his finger on the table for several moments and then he stilled. "You've spent years without me. I don't think we should try to pick back up." He reached across the table and took her hand. "We've got a boy who won't talk about his childhood. You tried, but Winona, he wasn't even sure which person from his past I wanted to kill after you first talked to me about him."

Spock watched as Winona stared at her hands.

"He's so good at hiding his pain that I don't think you've got a clear picture, Win." George tapped the back of her hand. "I want to be there for Jim. As much as I love you, Winona, Jim has to come first."

She nodded and abruptly stood and fled. George gazed after her and then he turned to look at Spock. Standing, George moved to sit across from Spock.

"Your Jim's First Officer, right?"

"That is correct." Spock raised an eyebrow. "You have completely read the histories compiled by Doctor McCoy and myself?"

George nodded. "You know him better than I do. What can I do to best help him?"

"He requires patience. The difficulties of his past have destroyed Jim's ability to easily trust others."

"He trusts you."

****

Amanda cornered Ambassador Spock in the Captain's cabin. "I need your help."

"Of course, Mother." He smiled softly and gestured to a chair.

She'd never seen her son so at peace with himself. Sitting down, Amanda sighed. "Sarek took a new wife, which was only logical given the situation, but what do we do now?"

With a cock of his head, Spock spread his hands. "There's no bond. It is something I changed while I possessed Q's borrowed powers. Both Father and his new mate had lost their previous bond-mates. With her former mate restored there was no logical reason for the new bond to remain."

"And you did the same for the rest of Vulcan?"

"I did not."

"Spock."

He looked at the floor and then back up at her. "I am certain the rest of Vulcan will rearrange itself in due time."

Amanda smiled. "Most likely." She rose and wondered around the room. "I never gave a thought to having grandchildren. That Spock has chosen Jim doesn't surprise me."

"He has also chosen Dr. McCoy."

Amanda stared at the chess set, blinked, and turned to stare at this old version of her boy. "Oh?"

He was smiling again. "They are well suited to one another."

"That they are." Amanda dropped back into the chair she'd sat in earlier. "You hadn't intended to bring Vulcan back. You were looking for an way to change Kirk back into an adult."

"I had contemplated ways of correcting the problems in this timeline brought by Nero's reaction to my inability to save his world in my own timeline." Spock steepled his fingers. "When Q was threatening Jim I took his powers as once happened on accident. It was only logical to use those powers to restore Vulcan."

She smiled at him. "Logical." As he quirked his eyebrow at her, Amanda could only hope that her boy found peace enough with himself to smile one day. "Your being an Ambassador pleases your father." She frowned as his head jerked up to stare at her. "What?"

His face went neutral which she'd long ago learned meant he was hurting. "In my time there was much fighting between Father and myself over the manner of my work."

She wanted to ask where she'd been through that, but she didn't. Instead she stood and approached her boy. "Well, you won't have that trouble now." She wrapped him in her arms and all but shoved love at him as strongly as she could. He made a tiny noise in the back of his throat and wrapped his long arms around her.

****

Pike grinned as he hunted the ship for Kirk. Any Kirk, he wasn't picky. Running across George in a turbolift, Pike grabbed his forearm. "Just the Kirk I wanted. Where's Jim?"

George frowned down at him. "He's on the Observation Deck. Why?"

Pike just grinned and kept a hold of George as he headed to find Captain Kirk. They found Kirk sitting between McCoy and Spock. All three were watching the planet below. Pike cleared his throat. Kirk turned his head. "Well, Captain, you've been assigned a new Commander. Head of Security. If he accepts, that is."

George stared at him and so did Jim for just a moment before he started grinning. "Anyone tell Dad that?"

Pike smiled and pushed George towards a chair. "Just now." He turned to George. "What do you think Kirk? Can you take orders from your boy?"

George visibly shook himself. "Yes, I think I can do that." He looked at Jim. "If he wants me."

Pike just smiled as Jim grabbed up George into hug.

****

_Two months later:_

Jim dropped to sit next to Spock on the bed. He watched Spock remove his boots as Bones made noise in their bathroom. "He's grumpy."

Spock glanced at him as he sat his boots carefully beside Jim's boots. "That is not an uncommon occurrence." Spock brushed two fingers across the back of Jim's hand. "You have adjusted."

Jim smiled softly as he turned his hand to met Spock's fingers with his own. He was liking the stealth kissing. It was hot. "Thanks. I think." He leaned forward and met Spock for another kiss, this one with tongues involved.

Bones came out of the bathroom drying his hair. "Why the fuck can't sonics manage blood in a person's hair?"

Jim pulled back from Spock to laugh at Bones. "Bones! Why are you complaining about blood when you could be getting a blow job from Spock?"

Spock's eyebrow rose. "I was uninformed of this plan of action, Jim."

Jim grinned as Bones came to sit on the edge of the bed. "I'm sure you could wing it, Spock."

Bones fingered Spock's uniform shirt. "I think someone is over dressed for blow jobs."

Jim leaned back and freed his cock from his pants as Spock stripped efficiently for them. Bones settled himself beside Jim on the bed.

"How's your hording going?"

Jim rolled his eyes and stroked himself as Spock took Bones' dick into his mouth. "You really want to bug me now?"

Bones sucked in a breath as Spock's cheeks hallowed. "M-maybe...later." Bones threaded his fingers through Spock's hair. Jim leaned over and captured Bones' mouth as he jacked himself slowly. He moved on to Bones' neck so he could listen to the noises Bones made that he'd never admit to later.

Bones arched his back as Spock pulled off. "Dammit, you can't just..." He broke off as Spock slid a lubed finger behind his balls. Jim sucked harder at the good spot just below Bones' ear.

Soon Bones was bucking on three of Spock's slender fingers as he laid half-on Jim's chest.

"I believe Leonard is sufficiently prepared for your proposed penetration of his person, Jim."

Bones roused from his glazed eyed state just enough to lift his head from Jim's shoulder. "Whaa..."

Jim nodded and Spock pulled his fingers from Bones. With a swift reposition of Bones' limp body, Jim sank slowly into Bones' ass.

"Ooooh." Bones lolled his head towards Jim's neck and mouthed Jim's earlobe.

Jim grinned. "It gets better, Bones." He sank further in as Spock lined up with him. Bones moaned as Spock started to push in alongside him. Jim gripped Bones' hips and mouthed the top of Bones' shoulder as his balls met Spock's only stopping when they were both buried in Bones' ass.

"Fuuuck." Bones' arms came up around Spock's torso and Jim moved one of his hands to Spock's hair. They rocked in Bones, pulling grunts and cut-off moans from Bones as he bit along Jim's neck.

Spock settled his hand on the psi points on Bones' face. "Please, Leonard."

Bones bucked into their thrusts. "Oh, yes. Do...it."

Jim watched eagerly as they melded. Bones' hole tightened and Jim could feel everything where he and Spock were pressed together. Spock's thrusts wavered and Jim pulled him in tight with a hand on his ass. Bones gasped and Spock started that little jerky movements that came just before his orgasm.

Then Spock's other hand, wiped clean at some point, found the side of Jim's face and he was pulled into the meld. Their shared emotions slid down his spine and Jim knew, distantly, that he was fucking Bones as hard as he could. As the sensations joined and meshed they held for one prefect moment of still pleasure before breaking, shaking apart together.

Jim shook and shook as Spock thrust deep and hard against him inside Bones who splattered everyone when his semen. Jim shoved them over onto their sides as Spock collapsed. His chest was heaving, but he had to prop himself up on his elbow and whisper down into Bones' ear. "Want to talk about my hoarding now?"

Bones smacked him and Jim grinned as he laid back down. As they slid into sleep, Jim listened to his ship's sounds and smiled.


End file.
